I was a science student in High School and College. If I had gone on to a Masters, it would have been in artificial intelligence. (That explains why I have tried peeping into any learning disabled brains for years, I guess.) The scholarship offer was there, but I changed my mind after God told me to return to my home country. I used to hang out with English Lit and Art History majors. Many a time they had discussions on topics like Dante's inferno, Virginia Woolf, Art Deco ... At that time, I could not even catch 5% of what was thrown around. Yeah, I could not even get past 1 chapter of any Woolf books.
When Elizabeth(my daughter) borrowed The Tenth Circle, my own life has turned full circle! Finally I am a little less square, I can begin to sense, to feel and perhaps someday to understand subtle nuances Lit majors are so good at portraying, whether in words(verbal or written), or in behavior.
In this book, a daughter was raped, the father punched the rapist(a student in school), and the mother (being insulted) pushed the fiend into the river and he died. I know it is probably 100% fictional. Yet this story has a hold over me and it was gripping to read. I suppose any mother worth her salt would find super human strength to free her child pinned under a heavy vehicle. It is probable that given overwhelming provocation, I could have done worse. I totally sympathize with the poor woman. Yet, the rapist's mom had only one son. And as judges are so fond of saying, but for the rape, he was going places, had an upcoming sports scholarship and a "bright" future! Here in my country, two child rapists (the victims were underage) were set free recently because the victims consented to sex with men twice their ages. I would root for any rapist to be jailed, but to die for one assault?
Picoult has a magical way of weaving unlikely topics together into a seamless whole. Here in this book we are treated to cartoons galore. If it is to be made into a film, a sizable chunk would be shot near the Artic Circle. I can relate to Eskimo traditional beliefs, they are pretty close to what my grand ma talked about. Imagine a mother who teaches about hell fire in college and a stay at home father who illustrates cartoons, you have the daughter's background nailed. No one could have more artistic influence than her. No wonder her life evolved around building a relationship with her dream boy. She was willing to take party drug to do away with any inhibitions, to turn herself into a tart, to strip in public to win back her lover. No wonder in the Chinese language the character sex had a radical of knife on top! In traditional Chinese community, it is tragic to have any daughters who are passionate, such women usually die by lengths of cord or might jump into wells.
If Picoult's aim in writing is to provoke individual deep contemplation about issues, she has more than achieved it with this book. Hereby I vote it as the best of her books that I have read.
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