The Tenth Circle

The Tenth Circle
By Jodi Piccoult
Fiction
Released March 7, 2006
$16 or $12.99 Kindle http://www.amazon.com/

I have just recently discovered Jodi Picoult. I found myself at the beginning of this summer fresh out of books from my fave authors and I stumbled upon her books lining a whole shelf at the library. I asked my librarian what she thought of Picoult? "Good," she said, "But she always makes you cry." I figured I've survived all of Nicholas Spark's books so how bad can it be? I am now on my third book by Picoult, this being the second book that I read of hers. I just randomly pulled it off the shelf containing Picoult titles. It is now one of my all- time favorite books. Before I even touch on this story in particular let me say that I love the way Picoult covers each character. One scene is repeated from each character's perspective. Their thoughts, their memories and their own vision of what is happening. I like that; even though it can get tedious. She also comes up with wonderful quotes. If you are a person who loves those "quote a day" kind of things; you will need a highlighter marker to get through her books. She says some really inspiring stuff.
In the "Tenth Circle" you meet a typical family with a twist. A working mom, Laura, a stay at home dad, Daniel, and a teenage daughter, Trixie. The mom is a Professor at a local college who is also going through a mid-life crisis. You find out she is having an affair. Her husband; a stay at home dad, is really a comic book creator. He's quite established but his success didn't come easily. He has a dark past. Then there is the teenage daughter. Her story unfolds and sets the foundation for the whole book. A traumatic event takes place and this normal middle class family starts to disengrate before your eyes.
There are dramatic plot twists that may make this story hard to follow. Despite that, I really connected with this story. First of all, each chapter is divided by a section of the current comic that Daniel is working on. It also happens to parallel everything that is happening in his life. I would read this book just to see the artwork. Secondly, as a parent of a teenage daughter, this book came into my life at just the right time. Period. Thirdly, there is a hidden message throughout so when you are done reading go back through the artwork and put it together. I am a sucker for a good gimick.
Yes the story did make me cry. Not as much as the first book of hers that I read. Probably not as much as the one of hers I am reading right now.But it made me cry just enough to remember it by. And that's enough for me.
Do I recommend it: Yes!
But: Don't blame me when you discover it's a really sad story and you cry!
Bonus: Go to http://www.jodipicoult.com/ to get the answer to the hidden letters throughout the book.