Publisher

Allen & Unwin

Printer

Griffin Press

Year Written/Published

2004

Country

Australia

ISBN

1741143470

Binding

Trade Paperback

Pages

423

Genre

Fiction/Family

Blurb

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age 13 she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. Anna was brought into the world as a bone marrow match for Kate – a life and role that she has never questioned... until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister; and so Anna makes a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life... even if it means infringing upon the rights of another? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? What happens when emotion catches up to scientific advances?

My Opinion

It's been a while since I read a fictional story that really made me think, so while it was a refreshing change it was also a change in pace, from 'fluff' books to something far more serious.

The story is told by each major character, who combine their memories and experiences into a rich, complicated tale of love, loyalty and the freedom of choice. Anna, who wants to stop supplying her sister with life-saving body parts, is a troubled yet mature teen who draws everyone in to examine how her life is for her, and the result is both riveting and heartbreaking. There is no easy answer, and no obvious compromise either, which means each character is tormented by possibilities as well as memories of the past.

I found this book easy to get into; the language is informal and flowing. The transitions between characters are easy to manage, and the ending, which seemed to be a choice between two horrors, was completely unexpected and made me think about the entire story in a completely different light.

Date Finished

31/12/2006

Rating

9/10