The Pact

Jodi Picoult is like the J.K. Rowling for adults. Her books are easy to read, require very little brain power and are fun. She is remarkable in the sense that her books are quite well researched and very realistic. (Case in point: "My Sister's Keeper" is basically my job in words. Very true to life.) And yet sometimes I feel as if I am a book whore for reading her, because the literary value is, to me, lower than many books.

The Pact is disturbing. It's about two kids, boy and girl, whose lives are intertwined so much that the line between them blurs beyond reach. There's a thing, then a trial, then the end. Seems simple, huh? Here's the thing that is so cool about Jodi: I read that simple book in two days. I couldn't put it down. Thank the Lord I was working nights so that I could read in between things while the kids were sleeping.

So. The moral of the story: Read Jodi's books in between those heavy lit books for a little breathing room. Because she sucks you in and keeps you to the end.

The Namesake

This book is amazing. Amazing! It's a coming-of-age story about identity and family and growing into one's own. It follows a boy named Gogol (as in Nikolai Gogol the Russian author) growing up with Indian parents in Boston and his struggle for identity. Are you hooked yet? I was so impressed with Jhumpa Lahiri's use of language. Her words flow over you like, hmm, what paltry simile can I use? Like a warm summer breeze on your face, water lapping up on the shore, hot fudge over a bowl of ice cream? None seem right. It's just beautiful. That's enough.

I was especially taken with the tradition of naming babies in the family's culture. The grandmother was going to name the baby. And that each child has a "good" name that is on official documents, and another name that family and friends use. Like a nickname but more important -- a symbol of devotion from loved ones.

At the same time I was reading this book, I was taking care of a little boy from India here for treatment with his parents. I wondered if he had a pet name that his parents called him and we all used his "good" name in the hospital. I wondered if the parents followed the tradition of grandmother naming their child. I wondered what his name means.

Read this book. Read it. You will love it.