"Handle With Care" Book Review

Things break all the time. Willow O'Keefe, a six year old with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare disease that makes her bones very weak, knows this all too well because she has broken over 70 bones during her life. Handle With Care was an intense story with many heartbreaking moments.

Jodi Picoult's writing style is unique. She changes the point of view many times throughout the story. Each situation is told by a different character. I love that she does this because it makes the reader feel connected to each of the characters rather than just one.

Amelia is Willow's older sister. In many ways Amelia's life has been just as hard or harder than Willow's life. Amelia is a real character because she just wants to feel wanted. Charlotte, Willow and Amelia's mother, is a very believable character because everything she is doing is because she loves her daughters. Sean, Willow's father, is stuck in a sticky situation. The way he deals with this situation is interesting to read. Piper, Charlotte's best friend, is the typical hard working, loving, amazing best friend until she is betrayed.

In Handle With Care Charlotte and Sean go to a lawyer about a horrible experience they had while on vacation at Disney World. They go in with the idea of suing someone responsible for this bad experience but instead, they end up suing Charlotte's best friend and obstetrician, Piper. They are suing for wrongful birth and medical malpractice. Charlotte is trying to sue Piper because Piper did not tell the O'Keefe's about Willow's disease early enough to have the option of abortion. Charlotte gets so wrapped up in this lawsuit that she does not even realize her daughter Amelia is falling apart at the seams. The lawsuit tears the family apart and makes everyone miserable and Charlotte is too wrapped up in her own problems to realize everyone else's.

The theme Taking A Stand, is perfect for this book. Sean decides he does not want to go along with the lawsuit that basically says he wishes his daughter was never born, so he stands up to Charlotte and joins Piper's side in the lawsuit. Every character in this book is taking a stand in some way.

This book relates to the other Jodi Picoult books I have read because she uses the same writing style in all her books. Handle With Care was an excellent book and I recommend it to anyone.

477 pages