House Rules by Jodi Picoult


House Rules: A Novel  By Jodi Picoult  -Description from Goodreads.com
When your son can’t look you in the eye . . . does that mean he’s guilty?

Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject—forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he’s always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he’s usually right.
But when Jacob’s small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob’s behaviors are hallmark Asperger’s, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are directly in the spotlight. For Jacob’s mother, Emma, it’s a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it’s another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob.
And over this small family, the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?
This was my first Jodi Picoult book, it was chosen out of the many because it looked the most interesting to me. I have no knowledge of Asperger's syndrome so I cannot put my vote in on how well that aspect of this story was. So my thoughts on this book are just pure storyline and writing style. 

I found the storyline very predictable so I was unable to really enjoy it. But I did find some things about it that made it worthwhile for me.
                    1- The chapters change from different characters points of view.
                    2- Description and wording the author used to describe how Jacob related to the world

     My favorite parts of the book were the chapters told from the mother's perspective and from the 2    boys perspectives. I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if it were just those point of views.
      I of course am an avid reader, so I am not about to give up on reading any more of Jodi Picoult's books, but I may not read all 3 I had set aside initially for this challenge, and explore some different authors out there. And reading as much as I do, it's bound to be that I do not get a long with every book that I read. But I did like the authors descriptive writing and her characters
    
There is a great interview with the author on the Amazon Site: http://www.amazon.com/House-Rules-Novel-Jodi-Picoult/dp/0743296443/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295582120&sr=1-1
challenge for http://chicklitplus.com/category/chicklitchallenge/

Comments

  1. This is on my TBR list also for the Chick Lit challenge..I'm almost finished reading The Pact and I love her writing style and it's really good so far :)
    Kristy @ Dreaming By Day

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