House Rules

I'm in a Jodi Picoult rut lately, I know, but this one was really good. I say that about all her books. In this book, I know what she is talking about. Much of the story is from Jacob Hunt's point of view. Jacob is 18. He goes to high school. He lives with his mother and younger brother. Jacob is highly intelligent and he has Aspergers Syndrome. He doesn't relate to people the way us "neurotypical" people do. He takes things literally. He is very rigid. He follows the rules to the letter. He is very literal. When told to "Grab a chair," he will pick up a chair. He doesn't pick up on social cues. He can't understand human emotions. Sudden changes in routine throw him way off. He feels more comfortable when life is predictable. So his family, his mother and his brother, try to make his life more predictable. I work with people who have Aspergers so I am somewhat familiar how this syndrome can disrupt family life. Jacob is very restricted. He eats only brown food and wears brown clothes on Fridays. White food and white clothes on Wednesdays is not nearly as difficult as blue food and blue clothes on Tuesdays. Jacob has obsessions. He was obsessed with dinosaurs when he was a boy. Now he is obsessed with crime scene investigations. He knows more about finger printing and blood spatter patterns that many professional investigators. In the story, Jacob is accused of murder. Like almost all Picoult stories, much of the action is inside a courtroom. I liked the story. I didn't like the ending at first. I thought the ending was lazy. Then I read an interview with Jodi about the book. Now I understand that the ending relates to Jacob's interpretation and I like it better.