The Tenth Circle: A Book Review

After reading My Sister’s Keeper, I couldn’t wait to check out another Jodi Picoult book!  And this cover really sucked my in (I love the red against the white background!), especially since the cover shows a winter scene and the snow here is crazy!  It just never stops, so I decided to curl up with this book!

Title: The Tenth Circle

Author: Jodi Picoult

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher: Atria Books

Publication Date: March 7, 2006

Pages: 385

Out in Paperback?: Yes; October 24, 2006

Goodreads

Amazon

My Rating: 5/5

Review:

Goodreads Summary:

Fourteen-year-old Trixie Stone is in love for the first time. She's also the light of her father, Daniel's life -- a straight-A student; a pretty, popular freshman in high school; a girl who's always seen her father as a hero. That is, until her world is turned upside down with a single act of violence. Suddenly everything Trixie has believed about her family -- and herself -- seems to be a lie. Could the boyfriend who once made Trixie wild with happiness have been the one to end her childhood forever? She says that he is, and that is all it takes to make Daniel, a seemingly mild-mannered comic book artist with a secret tumultuous past he has hidden even from his family, venture to hell and back to protect his daughter.

With The Tenth Circle, Jodi Picoult offers her most powerful chronicle yet as she explores the unbreakable bond between parent and child, and questions whether you can reinvent yourself in the course of a lifetime -- or if your mistakes are carried forever.

Characters:

I really loved all the characters in this book, not so much because they all were great people, but because they each added their own perspective to the novel.  Trixie, a fourteen-year old girl, although young, wasn’t annoying or frustrating despite some of her actions.  She presented an interesting view in regards to today’s youth.  Her father, Daniel, is a comic book artist hiding his violent past, and her mother, Laura, is a professor at a university who studies Dante and hides a secret of her own.  These characters are all interesting to read about and introduced new aspects and layers to the story.  Readers also get perspective from Trixie’s boyfriend, Jason, as well as a detective with a sad past.  These characters really allow the story to take a more in-depth look at the subject matter.

Plot:

This story centers on the relationship between Trixie and her father.  After an act of violence at a party that Trixie snuck off to, her father does everything he can to protect his daughter; however, it is more difficult than he thought.  When the secrets of the past for both Daniel and Laura come to the surface, things get even more complicated.  The story takes the reader through many different feelings: love, suspense, hate, frustration, intrigue, and sacrifice.  I love Jodi Picoult’s books because they tend take an important and controversial issue and blur the lines of what it right and wrong.  The reader may have a strong opinion at the beginning of the book; however, Picoult will make you second-guess your opinions.

Writing Style:

I, once again, loved this writing style!  Picoult is so amazing with description and somehow finds the perfect words to describe a scene or an emotion.  Her use of similes continues to amaze me, and they have become some of my favorite quotes.  I loved how she seamlessly switched between different character’s points of view to involve all aspects and opinions regarding the subject.  I also LOVED how she included comic strips from her character Daniel's comic book before each new chapter; it really added to the story, and they were so intricate!  

Have you read this book?  What did you think?  I am trying to decide which Jodi Picoult book I should pick up next … any suggestions?

FTC Disclaimer:

All items mentioned were purchased by me.  This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.  No affiliate links were used.