The Storyteller by Jodi PicoultMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
(Some spoilers ahead) I liked this book. This was a typical Jodi Picoult book with each chapter from a different character's point-of-view and several sub-plots happening at the same time.
First, it is completely unrealistic that a survivor of the Holocaust would just happen to end up in the same small town as one of her direct supervisors seventy years after the fact and half a world away. Add to that the coincidence that the man was a "respected" member of the community, a small community, and in all those years, their paths never crossed. And another coincidence is that the survivor's granddaughter would just happen to meet this man at a grief group she has attended for three years. Why is she still going, and why is he there? But it's the basis of the whole story.
I think Picoult took the coward's way out by having Minka die rather than the alternative of eventually confronting a former SS man. I also think is was cowardly of Sage to assist "Josef." And I think it was ridiculous to have Leo fall in love with Sage so quickly, basically over the phone, and to assume she will move to Washington with him.
There was a lot of repetition of the "book" that Minka wrote about Ania, and the ending of that storyline was unsatisfying.
On a positive note, the historical apsects of the book were incredibly detailed. The sections of the book from the points-of-view of Reiner, Franz, and young Minka were horrifying. Ms. Picoult surely did her research. It is so hard to imagine these situations actually existing, particularly since we are so accustomed to our freedom. Ms. Picoult writes these characters so realistically. The twist with the characters Reiner and Franz at the end was clever.
I can't say I loved this book, only liked it, but it certainly kept my attention.
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I liked the first Jodi Picoult book I read-- My Sister's Keeper-- but I can't find one that's held my interest since then. Which one should I read next?
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