Small Great Things

A welcome return to Jodi Picoult and her fantastic new novel Small Great Things.  Some may say that her tried and tested, formulaic writing is a bit old but for me it works.  Finding a legal case in her novels somehow emphasises the points she makes, gets the reader thinking and opening the mind to new ideas.  Jodi writes about serious issues; issues that in America, even in the 21st century are often taboo and her writing about them the way she does makes them more than just a story, it makes them believable, it makes you realise things like this are happening in the real world.
In Small Great Things we meet Ruth, a black midwife, devoted to her son and to the safe delivery of babies.  Of course, Ruth is more than aware that her colour is a problem for some people just as she is aware that the education she received is a problem for people of her own background and colour.  As such Ruth often feels she is neither one or the other but she carries on, determined to see the good in people, determined that things can change.
And then she meets the Bauers, patients just delivered of a baby boy and put into her care.  Except they don't want it because Ruth is black and they are white supremacists.
When tragedy strikes, Ruth becomes the one who is blamed and so begins the intricacies of the story and its players as we discover what makes them tick, why they are as they are, why people behave as they do.
Although this is a very interesting and topical story it doesn't always make for very comfortable reading.  If you think that in the 21st century racism is pretty much a thing of the past, this book opens your eyes.  Not only is it not a thing of the past, it is becoming worse and white supremacy groups are claiming hold on many people.  It is not an easy thing to to read or think about but Jodi Picoult does it with finesse by confronting the unspeakable head-on and certainly making me think about just what is going on in parts of the so-called civilised world.
Her characters, as always are realistic, sometimes frighteningly so in this book as we come face to face with members of white supremacist groups and learn exactly what they are capable of.  Ruth, although the innocent, is not a perfect character and it is easy to see why she fights for equality and education, for the best for her son but it is also clear that she too has issues, understandably perhaps, but it does make her a sympathetic and likable character.
As I read, I was a mass of contradictory feelings.  The injustice and the cruelty, wickedness even, were horrific to read juxtaposed by Ruth's gentle but determined nature and then there were times when I felt it was all over for Ruth and how could she carry on?  I was angry at the lawyer, at Ruth for her stubbornness, at her son and then felt nothing but sad for them.  For the Bauers I felt everything from disgust and horror to despise and yet, was there a tiny bit of sympathy too, for the things that had led them down such a disgusting path, if not for their actual beliefs?
 I would say it is nigh on impossible to read this book without a lot of deep thinking and feeling.  It was a book, like all her others, that I read quickly and was totally immersed in; the story, the backgrounds, the characters, the reasons, the history, all held me spellbound.
If you love Jodi's previous books, I am sure you will love this one too.  If you are new to her books and fancy the sound of this, I am positive you will be looking up her back numbers.  Yes, a tried and tested method of writing but another hard hitting, fascinating, gritty book that really hits home.