Welcome to my book review for Jodi Picoult’s latest book, Wish You Were Here. Jodi Picoult’s new book, released today, is the most awesome one I have ever read. While it may feel too soon for some, especially for those who have been hospitalised or lost someone to Covid, it was timely and beautiful for me. The research has paid off, and I can’t wait to purchase a physical copy for my library!
Diana O’Toole’s life is going perfectly to plan. At twenty-nine, she’s up for promotion to her dream job as an art specialist at Sotheby’s and she’s about to fly to the Galápagos where she’s convinced her surgeon boyfriend, Finn, is going to propose.
But then the virus hits New York City and Finn breaks the news: the hospital needs him, he has to stay. But you should still go, he insists. And reluctantly, she agrees.
Once she’s in the Galápagos, the world shuts down around her, leaving Diana stranded – albeit in paradise. Completely isolated, with only intermittent news from the outside world, Diana finds herself examining everything that has brought her to this point and wondering if there’s a better way to live.
But not everything is as it seems . . .
Jodi Picoult is the author of twenty five internationally bestselling novels, including MY SISTER’S KEEPER, HOUSE RULES and SMALL GREAT THINGS, and has also co-written two YA books with her daughter Samantha van Leer, BETWEEN THE LINES and OFF THE PAGE. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.
Her most recent adult novel, A SPARK OF LIGHT first published in the UK on 30th October 2018, and was a #1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.
Follow Jodi Picoult on Twitter @JodiPicoult and find out more at www.jodipicoult.co.uk or on Facebook/JodiPicoultUK.
Jodi Picoult is an auto-buy author for me; I didn’t read the blurb before I chose this, so I didn’t have any idea what it would be about, but I was pretty sure I would love it anyway!
Picoult describes the first few days of the pandemic, back when we didn’t know what was coming, and she captures this brilliantly. We follow Diana, an Art Specialist at Sotheby’s and Finn, her boyfriend and resident surgeon, through their journey and changes.
Diana visits Isabella in the Galapagos alone since Finn must work due to the pandemic. She has the most glorious six weeks in paradise, the graphic descriptions are magnificent, and her experiences are well described. But, unfortunately, the Island has been closed due to the pandemic; Diana is trapped, no longer a tourist but a resident.
The plot is unique, awe-inspiring and very real; as always, it’s superbly written. Unexpectedly, it provides an excellent journey through the art world and being furloughed.
The characters are so real that I feel like they’re friends I have known for years. I feel their joy, pain, traumas, and emotions as if they are my own. The depictions of their experiences and conditions, e.g. Diana’s mother’s dementia, is very realistic and well described. The covid thoughts and tales are also well represented and accurate to the time; it’s clear a lot of research has gone into this. I loved the characters, their diversity and their experiences.
The ending was pretty much perfect for me. Although it is somewhat bittersweet, it speaks to the lessons many of us have learned through the pandemic, not least what is really important.
Overall, this is an emotionally poignant, thought-provoking novel. It looks at what it is to be human, how our best-made plans change and speak of bravery, resilience and hope. While I didn’t realise that the focus would be on the global pandemic, it was an interesting take on it that chronicles how our experiences and lives have changed in so many ways thought this time.
I think this may be the best Jodi Picoult novel I have ever read. While it may feel too soon for some, especially for those who have been hospitalised or lost someone to Covid, it was timely and beautiful for me. The research has paid off, and I can’t wait to purchase a physical copy for my library!
I also heard from Jodi Picoult herself that this has now been optioned to be made into Netflix Film, I am so excited to watch this already.
Thanks to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley for an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review.
If you like Jodi Picolut’s latest books, you may also enjoy my review of ‘The Book of two Ways’ coming soon.
| Title | Wish You Were Here |
| Author | Jodi Picoult |
| Series | N/A |
| Format | eARC |
| Page Count | 319 Pages |
| Genre | Women’s Literary Fiction |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Release Date | 25th November 2021 |
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