Book Review: Small Great Things

I've always been a fan of Jodi Picoult's novels, but there are some that really stand out far above the others. Her latest, Small Great Things, falls into this category. Not only is it relevant to what is happening in the world right now, but also told in a honest, sensitive, and heart-wrenching way. Even when you put the book down (which is difficult to do) to get back to other things in your life, it will stick with you until you get back to reading it.

Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years’ experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she’s been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don’t want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?

Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy’s counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other’s trust, and come to see that what they’ve been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.

With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion—and doesn’t offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I only have good things to say about this novel. Jodi writes it in such a way that you feel like you're in her character's shoes. Even the ones you're not supposed to like. Everyone feels so real that it's like they're practically sitting in my house as I'm reading it. I feel Ruth's stress and hurt as if it were my own. I was able to relate to Kennedy a lot, as our personalities are similar. And although I was not supposed to like Turk, I still felt bad over what happened to his baby and still felt his wife's pain over the situation.

As always, Jodi seamlessly inserts gray area into the story, making the reader wonder whose side they should really be taking. Was Ruth right or wrong to do what she did? It's definitely a lot to think about and even discuss with others who have read the book.

Overall, this was an incredibly told and well researched novel. I enjoyed reading the author's notes at the end which detailed all the ways Jodi came about writing this story. It reminded me of The Help...someone on the outside telling the stories of women who have been in Ruth's situation, but not to the extent of where she takes the story.

I highly recommend reading this book prior to Election Day, if at all possible! I'm going to share some final thoughts that include SPOILERS below, but first I'll give my casting choices for the movie version, which I hope will happen (as long as they don't pull a My Sister's Keeper on it).

Ruth: Thandie Newton
Adisa: Taraji P. Henson
Kennedy: Mila Kunis
Turk: Alex Pettyfer

Thoughts with SPOILERS (keep in mind that the comment thread might also contain spoilers):



Last chance to turn back...




What I liked best about this book was that it had a happy ending, which is not typical of Jodi's other novels. I went into it expecting something tragic and ironic to happen at the end, when the most ironic thing was Turk becoming a decent human being. I know that realistically, the ending might have been a lot less happy. Not everyone gets a second chance the way Ruth did, especially after she spoke in court. I did enjoy the revelation of Brit's mother. That was one of the best ironies.

In terms of what happened to the baby, I felt that Ruth was in an impossible situation. I like that she did try to intervene even when her boss told her not to touch the baby and was annoyed that she didn't just admit to doing so. She clearly didn't kill the baby anyway, so admitting to try to save a life would have caused far less grief and her boss might have taken her side. I also am glad that race was addressed in the court room after all. It couldn't be shoved under the rug.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, if you made it this far.

Thanks to Ballantine for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Jodi Picoult:

Disclosure of Material Connection:
Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."