Book Review: The Red Tent & My Sister's Keeper

I've read two really good books lately, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant & My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

The Red Tent
-Anita Diamant
This book came out in 1997 & I really wish it hadn't taken me 12 years to hear about it. In the past two book club meetings I've been to with MK, this book has come up, always highly recommended. I was vaguely aware of it, I definitely recognized the cover, but I had it in my head that it was a "religious" book & I wasn't interested. Then one day I stumbled across a used copy at McKay's for fifty cents. Sold. I'll read almost anything for fifty cents (see P.S. Your Cat Is Dead).

For the record, this book is fiction, but it's based on real people. The main character is Dinah, daughter of Jacob, sister of Joseph. Yes, that Joseph. While reading this book, I jokingly referred to it as "the bleeding babies bible book." This book is 100% about women, menstruation & childbirth. I realize I'm probably not making anyone rush out to buy this book, but seriously, it's really good. It's kind of like a B.C. version of Ya-Ya Sisterhood. It's a great story of sisters, mothers, wives & daughters. It makes you proud to be a woman. Highly recommend this book.

My Sister's Keeper
-Jodi Picoult
This is my second Jodi Picoult book this summer & I'm still a fan. The woman knows how to tell a story. Similar to The Pact, this book also revolves around a moral dilemma involving a family, a lawsuit & a heart-breaking conclusion. I have a feeling all of her books are the same in this way, but somehow it doesn't matter. You still find yourself wanting to read them all.

In this book, there is an older sister with cancer & a genetically engineered younger sister born to keep the sick sister healthy via bone marrow transplants, etc. The younger sister sues her parents so that they can't keep using her body to help her sister. There's also a delinquent older brother who drifts in & out of the story. This book is long, like 423 pages long, & I shit you not, I read it in 2 days. I couldn't put it down. I did nothing last weekend except read this book. If you're a Jodi Picoult fan, or if you just like having your heart ripped out of your chest, read this book.

Side note for anyone who saw the movie, the ending is different in the book.

Happy reading!