Jodi Picoult has written yet another compelling novel with The Storyteller, this time using the Holocaust as the platform for her narrative. In this wonderful and honest novel, Picoult juggles between the narrations of a baker girl, her grandmother, a former Nazi SS Guard and several other characters who all come to meet one another through fate. These shifts in narration add dimension and complexity to this powerful book.

The story mainly focuses on the baker, Sage. She quickly befriends an elderly man, Josef Weber, whom she meets at a grief counseling group. There aquaintance is quickly complicated when Weber asks her to help him die. Weber, who has a very good reputation as a citizen of the small town, is not who he appears to be. He confesses a dark secret to Sage, revealing that he used to be a Nazi SS Guard. This is especially difficult for Sage, who comes from a Jewish background and whose own grandmother is a Holocaust survivor. Every connection Sage feels towards her new friend Weber evaporates, and she finds herself hating him, believing that even death is too good for what he truly deserves.

Infuriated by the discovery, Sage makes it her duty to bring Weber to justice and have him extradited for his past actions. As the novel progresses, Sage’s grandmother tells her harrowing story of surviving the Holocaust, which is packed with horror, pain, loss and disturbing images that are at times difficult to read. With these narrative threads, Picoult stitches the story up neatly, even providing a surprising twist at the end.

Though parts of the storyline are predictable, and the romance in the novel feels contrived, the book does not fall short. After all, the romance is not the main focus of the story, so Picoult is able to get away with this slip.The biggest strength of the novel is its success in addressing the most controversial human situations and emotions that we are faced with every day. In this case, the topic is forgiveness. Can individuals like Josef Weber, who’ve committed such degrees of horror and violence in their past, ever be forgiven for what they’ve done? Should we pardon those who have hurt us the most, and do they deserve our kindness? Can people change? Can people like Weber become good?

Picoult leaves us thinking about these issues long after the story is finished, which for me is as good a sign as any that this book is worth a read.

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Diana Arriola

Article by Diana Arriola

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