Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

audio book

Rating 2/5

I don't know why I keep reading Jodi Picoult. I really don't like her writing and somehow I guess if I keep reading I will see what all of the hype is about. Plain Truth was better than some of the other books of hers I've read, but I really just don't get it. All of her books involve a trial where the person on trial always gets off somehow. So, you know how the book is going to turn out before you start reading it. She also has large gaps in logic and inconsistencies in her writing. She leaves out information to add suspense and to keep the reader guessing, but in reality, it adds to the predictability of the story.

Plain Truth is about an Amish girl, Katie, who is on trial for murdering her baby. Right off the bat, you know she didn't do it. However, throughout the first part of the novel, Katie denies ever being pregnant. As the reader, you know she gave birth, so this denial seems ludicrous. I think it is there to make you think that maybe she wasn't pregnant. Picoult also puts some inconstancies in the book. One is that the baby was born at 32 weeks. A baby that premature would have lung development issues and need immediate medical attention. This was barely discussed. Also, she has an Amish family using an electrical machine to milk cows. I'm pretty sure this goes against the Amish belief system. Third (don't read this if you plan on reading the book), at the end we find out that it was Sarah, Katie's mother who killed the baby to save Katie from being cast out by her father for being pregnant and unmarried. Throughout the trial, she never speaks up even though Katie could be put in prison for life. So, a mother kills her child's baby, causing pain for her child for losing a bay and almost has her sent to prison for the rest of her life in order to hide the fact that she was pregnant from her father. If this was her reasoning, she didn't do a very good job of hiding the baby from anyone.

Again, I really need to stop reading books by Jodi Picoult, they just end up disappointing me.