Plain Truth
by: Jodi Picoult

Published: 2007

# of pages: 432


My first Picoult book and it was.... kind of disturbing. I have to admit, one reason I felt this way was because I have an infant son. If you are a new mother, you may want to save this book for later if you are a sensitive person.

The story is about an 18 year old Amish girl, Katie, who is accused of hiding her pregnancy, delivering her baby in secret, and then killing him. Katie denies all of these charges although there is evidence against her. Ellie is a big city lawyer who is caught up in the drama while visiting her aunt who is related to Katie and her family. Ellie ends up living the Amish life, connects with Katie, and runs into a long lost lover.

I felt annoyed with Katie and thought that the story was very repetitive and didn't flow because of her character. It was also hard for me to read about an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy that ended so horribly. I don't believe in not reading a book just because it contains sensitive content or is upsetting in some way. I think it's good to be educated and read things that are thought provoking. However, while I'm glad I read the book, I couldn't enjoy it or even say that I like it.

I think that this is a common tone in Picoult's novels though. I just finished My Sister's Keeper and will be reviewing that soon. It seems like Picoult addresses sensitive issues in her novels and doesn't gloss over the bad things.

Interesting note: the only other books I've read that take place in an Amish setting were Christian novels (by Beverly Lewis). There were several times I was reading Plain Truth and was suddenly reminded that it was not a Christian novel. Haha! It was easy for me to think it was a typical Christian book, so the occasional curse word or sexual reference would come as a surprise.

So, I recommend this to adults who are not afraid to read such a sensitive story. I assume that if you are a fan of Picoult you would also like this read.



Have you reviewed this? Let me know and I'd be happy to post yours as well.