The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a refreshingly different book! I gave the book an extra star for that reason. The story itself was interesting and thought-provoking, as Picoult's books always are. She created a close and likable but flawed family dealing with the rape of the 14-year-old daughter. The issues of the unbreakable parent-child bond and the ever-developing nature of personality are presented. The reader is made to consider whether individuals and relationships can remain the same through life mistakes and trials. In addition, however, to the story itself, Picoult used several unusual literary elements to add an extra punch to this novel. She interrupted the main story periodically with segments from a graphic novel (supposedly written by the father in the story.) The two stories are interwoven and supplement each other. The final unusual twist was that Picoult mirrored a technique used by the fictional comic-book writer by hiding a message to her readers in the graphic designs throughout the book.

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