A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

"We are all drowning slowly in the tide of our opinions, oblivious that we are taking on water every time we open our mouths."

A Mississippi morning. Gunfire erupts in a health center that performs abortions. The women inside, along with a male doctor, are held hostage by a gunman who is seeking retribution because his daughter had been to the clinic and was counseled, he believes, to obtain an abortion. But the situation is more complicated than that. The hostage negotiator, Hugh McElroy, has a real crisis on his hands as he arrives at the center -- he's just found out that his daughter, Wren, and his sister, Bex, are inside. NO SPOILERS.

I must admit that I had some reservations about reading this book but, immediately after I downloaded it today, I started reading and just finished it a little while ago. I was totally glued to the pages of this story. Not only was it extremely even handed regarding its highly inflammatory subject matter of abortion, it was written in an unusual time structure going from present to past, in reverse order to the way I usually prefer my books to flow. So it ends with the beginning and follows with an epilogue that answers all the questions. At no time did I feel that I was being persuaded to take a side, nor were there subtle hints as to any author bias. It was obvious from the author's end note that she had done a tremendous amount of research, even to the point of spending time in a clinic and observing the termination procedures. The characters -- both those that were pro-choice and those who were anti-abortion (or pro-life) were all in the scenario and represented the various beliefs, wishes and desires with their reasons for doing and feeling as they did.

Jodi Picoult is not afraid of writing about controversial subjects and I believe that her purpose must surely be to open up dialogue about issues that tend to polarize people. In today's society, we seem to be bombarded by so many differences of opinion that result in responses that range from arguments to violence. What was once personal and private has become center stage. Activists on both sides of the abortion issue have various methods of rallying people to action or agreement. Lawmakers weigh in, deciding what is legal and what is not. Unfortunately, it's hard to remain objective in the face of it all as most of us no doubt feel pressures from different factions. At the end of the day, each person will have to come to their own perspective knowing, however, that it all boils down to the question of relevancy. And the fact that the way you feel one day may change depending on circumstances.

I am quite glad I was given an opportunity to read this and I'll be thinking of it for a long time. It would make an excellent choice for a book club, but I'm not sure everyone feels comfortable in this climate to share honest opinions without fear of judgement.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. I look forward to reading and hearing what others think of it.

This book is a standalone and is not part of any series.