My Sister's Keeper -Response

Ksenija,
You were and are missed! I think you lived in a particularly cool area of Tucson, perhaps this is just a temporary place while you figure out a sweet place for you to actually enjoy living in. I have videos on my flickr account. We'll have to do one just for Joe.

I read the book last night in one foul swoop. While it kept me reading, I must admit I felt very much the same as you with regard to the Hollywood nature of the story line and the inclusion of the Campbell/Julia thing. I wasn't surprised by the Kate request of Anna to let her die, nor by the epilepsy. Although now you mention it, I doubt that with the sort of seizure history that Campbell had he would have been allowed to drive. I used to have to get my neurologist to sign off on my driving every year for years after my seizures. So that doesn't make sense that he would be driving legally. We discussed the lack of voice that Kate has in the narrative other than at the beginning. How Anna's narrative was much more mature, not realistic for a 13 year old, than her talking.

I agree about Sara. I think it would be easy to become tunnel visioned about the one sick child in that situation and it rather seemed like a slippery rock, once they were willing to conceive for the cord blood, which I could definitely see doing, it was just one poke here, one poke there, one procedure and then another until they or at least she couldn't see the difference.

What was the deal with Jesse and the arson? I was sure his homeless buddy was going to turn him in. It seemed like the partial development of another story.

"Why is it that no one ever gave up on Kate, yet they let Anna go so fast? How were they sure that they couldn't do anything for her?"
It was more cut and dry? It wasn't their decision, but Campbell's?

It was Bridget, Erin, Annalise (spelling?) and myself with our respective children.

Hi, everyone. I really wish I were there to discuss this book. We also miss you all, and Joe misses his playmates. He hasn't played with any kids in weeks. As for Tacoma, it's great, but I don't like our neighborhood, and I think I've been really spoiled by Tucson.

But back to the book. The entire time I was reading it, I thought, how bookseller-ish, how Hollywood-ish, yet I couldn't pull myself away from it. I finished late Thursday night (in a tent at the beach), and all day yesterday I thought of nothing else. I felt cheated by the ending. Apparently, her 12-year old son was angry at her about the ending. I can see why. I felt cheated in a similar way when I was reading Atonement. I felt emotionally manipulated. But then, again, I suppose that crazier things happen in life.

The main reason I would really like to discuss the book with you is the character of Sara. I did not like her. I thought she was a bad parent to Jesse and Anna, I thought it would have made so much more sense if she had let Kate go. But then I looked at Joe and asked myself if I could let him go in a similar situation. And I guess I couldn't. 

The funny thing is that I think I've been a better parent these past few days, as I've been reading the book. 

I guess the big dilemma is: would I have a child just for the purpose of trying to heal another one? I don't think so. 

Other thoughts:

- I thought the side story of Campbell and Julia was unnecessary, though I admit I was dying to find out what his ailment was. 

- I should have seen that ending coming, but I totally didn't. Had I paid more attention, I would have noticed that the italics in the introduction didn't match anyone's font, so it had to be Kate saying she didn't kill her sister. I also didn't see it coming that Kate asked Anna to kill her. Did you? I kept wondering why that girl (Anna) is so contradictory, and why her actions didn't make sense. 

- I enjoyed Jesse's character, though I thought it a bit of a stretch that he becomes a cop in the end.

- I really wanted Anna to live. 

- Why is it that no one ever gave up on Kate, yet they let Anna go so fast? How were they sure that they couldn't do anything for her?

- Is it a coincidence that Campbell is in two car accidents in the book? How come no one says whose fault the accident was?

So, anyway, none of my thoughts are very deep. Mostly I am interested in what you all thought about Sara, and about the ending. 

ksenija