Picoult's A Spark of Light is a fantastic representation of the existing opposing views around pregnancy and termination. Tackling a challenging subject in a sensitive and tactful way, Picoult shines a light on both sides of the debate and gives heart and life to each character entrusted into her novel.

Picoult covers the struggles of young women fighting to reclaim their bodies, and the struggles of those fighting against it, but neither side are viewed as "bad". Instead, the worst character arguably is the rogue shooter determined to avenge his daughter.

A powerful read, A Spark of Light will pack an emotional punch and give a level, equal view of the arguments for and against abortion, but throughout there is an underlying tone that we shouldn't lose our humanity.

Back and forth time stories diminish, rather than heighten, involvement and tension

Jodi Picoult is a seasoned popular writer, and though on one level she writes good quality page turners she escapes being seen as airport or beach read because her books are about ‘stuff’, and the reader is given important issues to think about

Here, the issue is abortion. Which is certainly a highly charged one, particularly as the abortion laws, and the geographical ease of a woman having access to legal services, varies from state to state

Picoult sets this one in an or I should say, the abortion clinic in Mississippi.I discovered from the interesting factual afterword to the book in which Picoult explains context that indeed there is only one legal provider in the whole of the State. In 2018 that State passed a law banning abortions after 15 weeks. Exceptions may be made for severe foetal abnormalities – but not for rape or incest.

The high drama in this novel as well as the ideological debates, the individual stories of each woman in that clinic, and those who work there, comes from the violent clash with opposing, deeply held beliefs, and a society which gives people the right to bear arms. Conviction and guns don’t go well together. A shooter with a back story has planned a mass killing of people in the centre, as punishment and vengeance.

Inside the centre, a man with a gun. Outside the centre, the police team – and the police negotiator who wants to talk the shooter down, and prevent the kind of carnage which might result if the SWAT team storm the centre. And then it turns out that the negotiator has family members inside the clinic…

There were several challenges with this book, which prevented it from working, for me Firstly, Picoult’s decision not to tell the story in linear mode, nor even in a simple split time frame. She constantly bats backwards and forwards, in a fashion which seems almost random, with the major characters. So we have something that happened at the start of the day, then a flip to a character entering the clinic, then going back to that character at some earlier point thinking about setting up her appointment, then the moment when gunshots are heard, and so on. It rather diminishes, not heightens tension. And of course this similar device is being used on most of the characters. We also know, from the start, that certain people (whose flip back and forth part stories we continue to read as the book progresses) were killed by the shooter.

In the end, this meant that I had far less invested in the characters than was needed.

In fact, the most interesting part of the book for me was Picoult’s intelligent afterword.

There ARE of course also problems in that, though she does try, it is quite difficult to see any of the pro-lifer characters as having nuance and rationality in their make-up. There is one scene, near the end of the book, (one of the flip back and forth scenes) where the clinic doctor and a pro-lifer have a conversation in which they see each other as human beings, more than as ideological positions, but this was the only time I had a sense of that. It was always very clear that ‘our side’ had the nuanced, thoughtful people understanding and struggling with ambiguity, whereas the other side seemed naïve and blinkered at best – and, at worst, well, - there we have the shooter

I really struggled with this one. I found the reverse timeline hard to follow and just couldn’t keep track of all the characters.

This is a though-provoking read,like all of Jodi Picoult's books,dealing with the controversial topic of abortion in the southern states of the USA.It follows the usual pattern of her books,telling the story of a group of people caught up in a hostage crisis in a Women's Health Centre in Mississippi where ,among other things,abortions are carried out ,from various points of view.
The structure of the book takes time to get to grips with, as it's told in reverse,starting almost at the end and working back in time to the events which began with the gunman's arrival.Things don' t really fall into place till the end,so it's worth staying with the book till,then.
As always ,the issues are meticulously researched and presented in a very balanced way,with both pro-life and pro-choice viewpoints presented.
Maybe not the easiest of her books to read, but interesting and compassionate.

I thoroughly enjoyed this short story. I love Jodi Picoult’s books but this is the first short story of hers I e read. I did wish it were longer, though, to get the full force of her writing, characterisation etc.

I was disappointed with this book, didn't have the grab factor for me and it was a bit like plodding through mud.

I normally really enjoy books from this author but sorry this just wasn't for me.

I did really enjoy reading A Spark of Light - it was as well written as all of the author's other books and I finished it in a day. My major problem reading it was one which I think will be echoed by many other readers: the structure. Reverse chronology narratives very rarely work effectively, and I don't think this was one of those times. It was difficult to empathise with characters when you know they'll be dead by the end of the chapter. A good proportion of the book was dedicated to characters nursing other characters and convincing the shooter to take them to safety, but rather than being on tenterhooks as to whether they'll survive, I found myself disengaging entirely because I knew the answer.

The other issue I had with the book was its balancing of the arguments. Abortion is a sensitive topic, and I appreciated the author's attempts to display the arguments on both sides. Personally, I think it was no fault of hers that the pro-choice arguments came across as vastly superior compared to the weakness of the anti-abortion arguments, but I did find it unfortunate that the only anti-abortion narrative voice was from such a deeply hypocritical character. The author's books commonly revolve around these difficult moral choices, with both arguments presented, but in this case the balance seemed tipped from the start.

This is another gripping and thought provoking read from Jodi Picoult. Once I started, I just wanted to keep reading. I loved the way the story started in the present and worked its way backwards throughout the day giving an insight into each individual character and what had brought them all into the clinic that day. As a woman, I did find some parts very uncomfortable to read but it was brilliantly written and it is a real talent to invoke such emotions in your readers. I would highly recommend this book - 5 out of 5 stars *****

Thank you to NetGalley, Jodi Picoult and the publisher for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Spark of Light centres around an abortion clinic, where the staff and visitors have been taken hostage. The story is much about Wren and her father Hugh, the negotiator sent to diffuse the hostage situation. It is told largely in flashback, which is a little confusing at times because the story changes voice without warning. The writing as you would expect from Jodi Picoult is extremely well written and engaging, so I’m sure A Spark of Light will be a success.

I absolutely love Jodi Picoult and was very grateful to be given the option of reading this book before publication.

The subject matter is very personal to me, so much so that I wondered whether I would be ok reading this book or whether I would find it too upsetting. Knowing that a great many (if not all) of the Authors books are based around emotive subjects though, I knew that she would present the facts without any bias of opinion. She did this so brilliantly that I even found myself considering the 'other side of the argument' many times.

Abortion is, and always will be, a highly debated topic and I cannot imagine how tough it is to write about, but Ms. Picoult has done it with aplomb and a brilliant storyline. We start at the 'end' of the story and make our way back through time to the beginning of the day. There were a couple of twists at the end - one I saw coming and one that I didn't!

I throughly enjoyed the fiction aspect of the story and it didn't really seem like fiction at all to me, as I imagine this could easily happen. I don't want to say too much for fear of giving anything away, but the book centres on the story of a shooter in an abortion clinic.

If I had to give a negative comment at all, I would have liked to read more about Izzy's story as I felt that was slightly unexplained (what happened afterwards, etc) but all in all I would highly recommend this book and I am now going to go back and re-read all the other Picoult novels as it's got me back in the mood!

Author Jodi Picoult is no stranger to controversy, and it seems somehow fitting that she should tackle the contentious issue of a woman's right to abortion in this, her latest offering. Set in a women's reproductive health services clinic, now becoming a rare commodity, the story kick starts with a bang with a desperate gunman shooting at those within the clinic and holding them hostage. The narrative then proceeds to go back in time to the start of the day for the wide cast of characters present and the multiple reasons for their presence at the clinic. This includes clinic staff, pro life people, the desperate gunman's tale, and clinic clients. Outside, Hugh McElroy is the police hostage negotiator, alarmed to discover his 15 year old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic with her aunt, his sister.

Picoult takes an incredibly balanced approach, showcasing her impressive research skills on this incendiary topic of reproductive rights. She presents the science, the legal, religious, cultural norms, state differences, national and international angles, not to mention the issue of race, making this a novel that is thought provoking and prime material for book club discussions. She captures the intensity of the feelings people have on the topic, both pro life and those who uphold a woman's right to choose, exposing the misinformation peddled in the arguments. This is a story with plenty of tension and suspense, and the unexpected, which I found both gripping and timely, given what is happening in the world today. As such, this is a novel that I recommend highly. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

Although the situation and context was of real interest, I felt that the broken timeline of the story meant at times that it lost the sense of urgency that it might have had otherwise.
It also really brought home the issue of abortion in the US - as UK reader, I didn't realise quite how unreasonable their laws were (such as requiring doctors to tell their patients things that aren't true).
The round-up at the end was to me the most enduring part.

Slightly disappointed in this book from Jodi Picoult. I found it hard going and it didn’t keep me interested, like some of her previous books have.

“Heroes, Wren knew, did not always swoop in to rescue. They made questionable calls. They lived with doubts. They replayed and edited and imagined different outcomes. They killed, sometimes, to save.”

This book perfectly encompasses what it means to be a woman, to make choices for ourselves and to stick our necks on the lines for people who are ours, the people we love and, sometimes, people who may only touch our lives a short time. Picoult tackles difficult topics, once again, with the intelligence and subtle grace that topics of such a nature deserve. Somehow she captures the beauty and corrupt difficulties of having a parent, being a parent and moreover making the choice to become one. Nothing about this story is simple. Except that you know there is a man pointing a gun at your daughter, and you are her world; it is your job, your only job, to save her. At all costs.

Wren, the hostage negotiators daughter, is in a women’s clinic. The clinic caters for lots of women on a multitude of different paths, many of which we come to learn about as central secondary characters with complex stories of their own. But all that matters is that today Wren walked past the pro-life protesters and into the very clinic a man with a burning anger to avenge his grandchild, his grandchild his daughter chose to terminate, is choosing to brandish a gun and kill anyone in his path.

The story largely centres around choice – how could it not with such a controversial issue at its heart. There are opposing opinions regarding termination, which makes for sensitive but interesting discussion. I’m always in awe of how Picoult constructs characters on all sides of a topic without appearing to lean towards one more so than another. Her writing is fair, factual and wonderfully contextual. She somehow manages to make all of the strong points resonate just as powerfully with me, regardless of what I thought I believed before. If an author can make me challenge what I think to be true, and who I think to be right even when they have a gun in their hands, there is really nothing better.

“But it wasn’t having sex that made you a woman. It was having to make decisions, sometimes terrible ones. Children were told what to do. Adults made up their own minds, even when the options tore them apart”.

She captures what it is to be a family, particularly a young teenage girl, so perfectly. But more than anything she completely understands what it is to be a daughter, to be utterly captivated by a father, but sews in the challenges we all face with various facets of that. Her depiction of Wren and her father, a topic very raw for me, was so very beautiful. It was wonderfully built and I completely believed the love Wren’s father had for her, and her adoration of him.

“When she was tiny, she used to play a game with him by tightening her arms and legs and straightening her backbone to be as rigid as possible. I’m making myself extra heavy, she would tell him, and he would laugh. I’ll always be able to carry you”.

This isn’t a perfect book, but Picoult strays away from her typical court-room approach and instead has written a book I think it would be a challenge to not resonate with just about anyone. Imperfect, but perfect for me.

A Spark of Light starts at the end: the end of a hostage negotiation at the Center. It is the place where so many fetus' existences end and now potentially the site of the end of a young girl called Wren's life. The novel follows the experience of the people who are at The Center, the only place licensed in the state to offer abortions, when a pro-life gunman enters the building. The the highly sensitive issue of abortion is dealt with extremely well. The perspectives of the different characters were fully fleshed out and explored.

What makes this novel unlike any other is that instead of moving forward, time moves back. Victims of the gunman who once were lying dead on the ground come back to life, bad news is ungiven, the hostage negotiator's birthday cake uneaten. This led to some heart wrenching revelations, with more and more depth about the characters coming to life with every page. The lives of characters such as Olive and Bex, who at the start of the novel are for various reasons more distant, take on a new significance. As with all of Picoult's wonderful novels, at the end (or the beginning?) there are her signature twists and turns.

This is such a poignant read, with the author's note at the end providing information on the reality of the situations depicted. Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton, Jodi Picoult and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this thought-provoking gem of a novel!

Thanks to netgalley for an advance read

Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite authors, and I loved this book. Lots of great characters and a plot that had me hooked right from the start! Id recommend this book

I would like to thank Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘A Spark Of Light’ by Jodi Picoult in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
George Goddard has a gun and takes hostages at the Center, once known as the Center for Women & Reproductive Health. Hugh McElroy is called in as hostage negotiator and talks him into releasing some of the hostages. There is one remaining hostage, a sixteen-year-old girl called Wren McElroy, Hugh’s daughter.
When I was asked to read and review this novel I thought I was getting a full-sized book instead of the very short story it turned out to be. I found it wasn’t long enough to get right into it and become acquainted with the characters, but saying that, it has the makings of a very intriguing novel with a gripping plot and interesting characters. I’ve read and enjoyed all of Jodi Picoult’s novels and been fortunate to have seen her in person discussing her previous novel, and I have every reason to believe ‘A Spark Of Light’ will be just as enjoyable and a best-seller. Unfortunately I can only review it on what I’ve read but it’s made me want to get hold of the full version and read more.

Thought provoking and very emotive. I devoured this, staying up til the small hours not wanting to put it down. Never in all my days did I think this would provoke in me the feelings it did. It got me talking to family members, young and old, about it. The controversial subject matter is very well written and at times insightful. This is one that’ll stay with me forever I think. Be prepared for the story to jump from character to character and not in a chronological order. Well worth reading! I’m actually going to let me children read this when they are of age!

Jodi Picoult’s Spark of Light

I still remember picking up a Picoult in Tesco Metro, nearly 15 years ago. I talk more about it in this post, from the Archives https://fenlandtalesandbeyond.wordpress.com/2010/02/

The last book I read of hers before “Spark of Light” was “Small Great Things”, which told the tale of a black nurse in the middle of a lawsuit with white supremacists who accuse her of killing their baby. It has all of the hallmarks of a great Picoult – a tricky situation, empathy with all those concerned through showing different perspectives in a sensitive and well handled way and engaging action throughout with just enough mystery to keep you guessing about what’s going to happen.

“Spark of Light” starts off in the middle of a hostage situation in a medical facility which provides abortions. Hot button topic right there, made more complicated by the presence of the hostage negotiator’s teenage daughter and his sister, caught up in the middle. Hugh convinces the gunman to swap his daughter for him in the hostages.

The story unfolds in a spiral pattern, almost – looping back around to the abortion centre time and again before swooping away to introduce one of the other hostages. I found this to be really confusing and I think one of the reasons why is because the characters of the women are not clearly drawn. I couldn’t tell the difference in voice between Olive, Joy, Jasmine, Izzy, Bex or Wren and kept having to check which one was which. This was distracting and disengaging as I found it hard to concentrate on the storyline.

I usually enjoy a bit of non linear narrative but in this instance, I don’t think it added value to the novel and instead added ambiguity and confusion.

As we pick through the characters and how they got to be in the situation, we start to realise that they were all there for a different reason and under different circumstances. Olive’s been given months to live after a devastating cancer diagnosis, Wren wants to practice safe sex and George (the shooter) is angry because his daughter had an abortion. While I understood where Jodi was coming from in terms of telling each story and representing lots of different perspectives on why a centre like this is necessary (not all of them being for abortions), it came across as a bit heavy handed and a lot more ‘afternoon special’ than her previous books.

The father-daughter dynamic between George and his mysteriously unlocatable daughter, and Hugh and Wren, are carefully painted and positioned almost as a possessive relationship. This didn’t sit comfortably with me – your children are not yours to own, waiting to be set free whenever you see fit. Wren is 16/17 years old – almost old enough to vote and definitely old enough to make her own decisions. The inference that women are looked after by their fathers until they are deemed old enough to be ‘passed on’ to their boyfriends and husbands was a bit much for me. This may not have been the intention but it was definitely how it read. Hugh spends quite a few chapters pining over her lost childhood, which bordered on creepy, in my opinion.

Jodi Picoult had clearly done a lot of research around abortion laws, the main issues and real life examples, and that showed. I think that concentrating on one or two of the stories would have made it more engaging and easier to follow.

The book starts with a hostage situation in The Centre a women’s clinic offering contraception and abortion. The hostage negotiator has a daughter being held hostage. You are also introduced to several other characters including the clinic nurse, a protester and the hostage taker.
The novel then takes you back, hour by hour, through the hostage scenario and you learn more about each character why they’re at the clinic, they thoughts and feelings about what’s happening. This causes you to change your thoughts on each character as you learn more about them.
I loved how this novel unfolded and being thought to think about my own feelings about the characters as you learn more about them.
This is only my second Jodi Picoult but I will read her again and the next novel will be at the top of my pile.
Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for an ARC.