Review: House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Goodreads: Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject – in his case, forensic analysis. He’s always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do…and he’s usually right. But then one day his tutor is found dead, and the police come to question him. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger’s – not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, inappropriate affect – can look a heck of a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel -- and suddenly, Jacob finds himself accused of murder. HOUSE RULES looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way – but lousy for those who don’t.

Kritters Thoughts: What can I say about Jodi Picoult? Every book she has written that I have read has become one of my favorites. I love her combination of a great story with depth and intelligence added in. All of her books that I have read have included some form of the law and a trial. I love these parts of the stories because they put the characters in different situation than their "normal" lives.

House Rules is a story based on a family with a son who is living with Asperger's Syndrome. I have heard a few things on parents living with autism, but I absolutely enjoyed hearing the real day-to-day struggle of families living with this disorder.

Without absolutely spoiling the basic premise of the novel, the family ends up in the courtroom where a child with autism has a hard time executing the proper social graces.

I loved how Picoult switched from different points of view to keep the story moving along, but to also enable us to understand how each family member is affected by Asperger's and their trips to the courtroom.

The one thing that I always seem to make sure is never to read two of her books in a row. They are so good and deep and though provoking that I can't handle more than one in a row. So I will be taking a short vacation from Jodi Picoult while I continue to digest this most recent read.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Pages: 532 pages

GR July-Sept Challenge: Keeping up with the Math (Multiplication)

2010 Challenge: New in 2010