Sisterly Love

How far is too far when you love someone? Are you willing to give up your life for your loved ones?
Anna was brought into this world to save her sister Kate’s life. Ever since she was a couple of days old her life has been in and out of the hospital. With every visit comes a new surgery or a new procedure Anna has to undergo. There comes a point in your life in which you want to be able to choose for yourself. A sister faced with a struggle in which she must choose between being selfish or giving up her life to save her sister.
Kate was diagnosed with cancer as an infant and because of this her parents made the decision to have another child in the hopes that the baby would become her donor. As soon as Anna was out of the womb she instantly began donating blood and undergoing bone marrow transplants. A baby conceived for spare parts or was this an honorable and selfless act of desperate parents? When you become a parent, there is no manual that tells you what to do. The only thing you know is that no matter what you must keep your babies safe forever. What to Expect When You’re Expecting forgot to add the chapter of dealing with a child with cancer. In an act of desperation Anna’s parent became pregnant in the hope of bringing a miracle to the world that would save little Kate. Scrolling down each line of this novel, you begin to question the characters’ actions and wonder how you would act if the shoe were on the other foot. If my brother had cancer would I be the first to stand up and donate every organ in my body in the hope of giving him years more to come, or would I hesitate and doubt becoming in that very instant the most selfish person in the world? The author addresses both scenarios and explores each characters motivation for their actions.
Looking at this book from every perspective, the author of My Sisters Keeper, Jodi Picoult, is able to capture each angle. She narrates all the characters visions and what is going on in their mind. Her style of writing is what makes this author unique. Her way of using the characters pain and anguish and turn it into words that captivate you through every page forcing you to keep reading until the very end. Anna’s mothers’ suffering was probably the most impacting of the whole story. “The most unbearable pain is losing a child.” Those are words any mother would say without even hesitating. The thought of losing the one thing you brought into this world can’t begin describing the pain.
Throughout the story you feel that you yourself are also faced with a choice. What would you do if you were in that situation? The pain of dealing with cancer and chemotherapy is hopeless, but being used your whole life as a surgery puppet is miserable. Anna and Kate’s struggle become the central focus of the book but in no point do they ever stop loving each other unconditionally. Kate sacrifices so much to be able to save Anna, but it’s never enough and that isn’t what Anna wants for her sister. Every chapter is filled with surprises as you discover the real story behind each character’s struggle. There is no bad guy, no one to hate, just unconditional love that forces people to make choices no one should ever have to, not parents or siblings.