VANISHING ACTS by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult has emerged as one of the most inventive minds writing fiction today. Her stories have unique plots and they surprise and amaze the reader. Such a story is VANISHING ACTS, her latest novel. It is a tale about abduction and betrayal. It is also a tale of love and forgiveness. It is Picoult's inventive mind at its best, but her storytelling art at a lower level.
The main focus of the book is a young woman named Delia. She is the only child of a man named Andrew and they live in New Hampshire. Delia has been told by Andrew that her mother died in a car wreck when she was a very young child. But one day Andrew is arrested for child abduction. It seems he took Delia away from her mother's home during a visit he had with her as part of the divorce decree. Now twenty-eight years later the law has finally found him.
The book switches to Arizona at this point where Andrew is to stand trial. Eric, who is the father of Delia's daughter Sophie, takes the case and prepares Andrew's defense. He fears he is out of his league with this kind of case but Delia and Andrew want him to be the defense counsel.
The book tells this story as seen through the eyes of Delia, Andrew, Delia's mother Elise, Eric, and Delia's friend Fitz. Each has a voice and each gives his/her perspective on the events as they unfold. Picoult is very good at capturing the thoughts of each of these individuals but it would have been more effective just to give the story through one pair of eyes and one voice.
There is also too much extraneous information given. Each character has a back story which is included, and the telling tends to slow the main plot down to a crawl Then there are stories about Andrew's life in jail, and about a Native American woman Delia befriends in Arizona. Again these are fairly interesting but they take attention away from the main story and that weakens their effect.
Picoult is a genuinely talented writer. No one could deny that fact. Still in this book she gives us too much information about the circumstances that precede the present events, the non-essential characters, and the world of the Native American Indians in Arizona. This book is about a father abducting his only child. There is enough conflict there to fill the pages of the book. There is no need for all the "extras" we are given.
When you read VANISHING ACTS, focus on the main plot and give the other material only a cursory glance. This might enhance your appreciation of a really absorbing story.
VANISHING ACTS is published by Atria Books. It contains 418 pages and sells for $25.00.