#9 VANISHING ACTS by Jodi Picoult

VANISHING ACTS

by Jodi Picoult

Date Began :

February 14, 2005

Date Finished February 27, 2005

Rating 8/10Date

Published: 2005

Genre: Fiction

Time/Place: Present day New Hampshire and Phoenix

Characters:

Delia Hopkins – Search and Rescue worker

Andrew Hopkins – Delia’s father, the head of a senior center

Sophie – Delia’s daughter

Eric – Delia’s attorney fiancé (and Sophie’s father)

Fitz – Good friend of Eric and Delia

Ruthann – The Hopi woman who befriends the group in Arizona

Elise – Delia’s mother

# of Pages: 448

Where did the book come from: eBay (I couldn’t wait!)

Reason for reading the book: Picoult is one of my favorite authors and one of the most consistent at telling a compelling story

BRIEF BLURB:
Told in alternating first-person point of view by the five main characters, Picoult tells a heart-rendering story of Delia Hopkins who has grown up believing her mother is dead, only to discover via triggered memories, that she is very alive and that her father kidnapped her 28 years previously, failing to return her to her mother after a weekend visitation. A search and rescue worker, Delia’s job—with the great assistance of her trusty bloodhound Greta--is to help find people who have gone missing. But when long-dormant memories surface and Delia finds out her whole life has been a lie, she is the one who, in reality, needs rescuing the most.

MY COMMENTS: (WARNING SOME MIGHT CALL THIS A SPOILER)
While not one of my favorite Picoult books, this was a solid read. I felt that it was about 100 pages too long in that many of the details of Andrew’s time in jail could have been omitted. I was glad though that Picoult didn’t end the book with a pat HEA ending but made it more real than some of the books I’ve read. I was also disappointed that there wasn’t a huge twist at the end that I didn’t see coming (which has become a hallmark of Picoult’s books). So, while the book was good, it wasn’t great, and I ended up giving it a 8.5/10 (B+).