In A Spark of Light, Jodi Picoult, as usual, tackles tough social problems and deftly presents both sides of the story, in this case the issue of abortion.
On a warm fall morning, a women’s reproductive health clinic is invaded by a gun-toting man who opens fire, killing some and taking the rest hostage. Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, races to the scene, sets up a perimeter, and initiates contact with the gunman. When Hugh finally has a chance to look at the multitude of texts on his phone, he’s devastated to learn his teenaged daughter, Wren, is among the hostages. The situation pulls together an interesting cast of characters: the owner of the clinic; a flying doctor who comes into town to perform abortions; a nurse; a woman who just had an abortion performed; a pro-lifer who has infiltrated to get “evidence” that the clinic is misusing fetal remains; Wren’s aunt who drove her to the clinic; and the gunman who’s vowed to avenge his daughter.
Generally speaking, I enjoy Picoult’s writing but found the structure of this one frustrating. It’s told backwards, starting at 5 pm with a brief history of the abortion facility, known as the Center and Wren’s position in it, seeing a dead person for the first time. The novel then moves backwards in time until the reader sees how each and every person arrived in the clinic. I enjoy books that flow backwards and forwards in time, but this flowing entirely backwards was rather unpleasant to read, although an epilogue timed 6 pm, pulls the entire narrative together.
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A Spark of Light (Ballentine Books, October 2, 2018) is available through:
Your local independent bookseller | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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You can read my reviews of other Picoult novels here:
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