Kate Fitzgerald was diagnosed with leukemia at a very young age of 2. Shocked by the news, Sara is determined to do whatever it takes to save her daughter’s life. Unfortunately, nobody in the family is an exact match and a suitable donor for Kate. The only solution: specifically engineer another baby in order to save Kate’s life.
Anna, the designer baby, becomes the new addition to the Fitzgerald family. The moment she was born, the doctors started taking parts of her body, to be given to Kate. From then on, Sara and her husband did all they can to ensure that Kate is being treated for all her subsequent illnesses every single time. Things in the family started to change once Anna reached thirteen. She has now decided that she wants to stop saving Kate. She knows the consequences of what will happen to her sister if she were to refuse to donate her kidney. She finds herself a lawyer to represent and fight for her in this complicated case of suing her own parents for the rights to her own body.
The characters in the story felt so real; Jodi Picoult’s magic of presenting the characters as though they are people you personally know. How much I want to knock Sara in the head and tell her to stop for a moment, take a step back, breathe, and that some things are just beyond her control. How much I want to tell Jesse, Kate’s brother, that he doesn’t have to rebel just to prove that he is still there, that he has so much in him, if only he would channel that youthful energy into doing something beneficial. How much I want to console Anna and tell her that it is human to feel left out, to feel as though you are invisible, that you need to be brave to stand up for yourself and voice your opinions, now that you know what is best for you.
My Sister’s Keeper is, for the lack of a better description, a sad story. This story left me crying inside with a heart bitter as spit. I’m not going to lie, I wished Jodi Picoult would’ve written a more desirable ending, where at least I could sleep peacefully knowing that the protagonist whom I’ve rooted for so much finally gets her peace. But that’s the beauty of this story, the looming end will surprise you, in a way of telling us how sometimes life isn’t predictable. We just have to willingly accept what it brings us. There’s always a reason why some things end up a certain way. It tells us to look at life at a different perspective, to appreciate every single thing that comes our way, and that every single problem we face is a test to see how much we are willing to sacrifice for the ones we love.
Needless for me to say, read this before watching the movie. Not a smart move to judge the book by its movie, the book’s definitely more emotionally charged. Guaranteed to tug on your heartstrings.
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