Audiobook Review: The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: 2013

So apparently I have read this book before, but I don't remember it at all. I love Jodi Picoult's books and I love how they touch on subjects that are hard for us to hear about. The Storyteller is no different. Set in New Hampshire, it tell the story of Sage Singer. Sage is a Baker for Our Daily Bread and works at night so she doesn't have to be seen by many people. You see, Sage has a scar on her face from an accident and she can't see herself past the scar.

Sage is also in a grief group and has been since she lost her mother 3 years earlier. There is where she meets Joseph Weber. Joseph doesn't say much during the group, but when he shows up at the bakery just before Sage is about to start her shift, they strike up a friendship. Then Joseph asks Sage to do something that she can't imagine. When he tells her why, her feelings are mixed about what she should do. Joseph was an SS Officer for the Reich during WWII and Sage's family is Jewish. Joseph is a beloved member of the community so trying to match that person with someone who would have done so much evil in the world is hard for Sage to grasp.

Sage's grandmother had been at Auschwitz and she had never told her story to anyone, but when Sage has this decision to make, her grandmother is forthcoming with her times in Germany and how she survived. Will Sage be able to honor Joseph's request after hearing her grandmother's story, or will she leave Joseph for the authorities to take care of?

I loved this story and I don't recall any parts of it, so I'm kind of glad this is a re-read for me. This story made me want to cry several times. Most of us know the story of the Holocaust, but to hear a first hand account(even if it is fiction) really makes you feel most invested. This book makes you think, what would I do if I was in Sage's position? Would I go through with what Joseph wanted me to do? There are so many things to consider with this situation. Should she tell her grandmother that she sits next to an ex-Nazi officer during grief group? Does her grandmother know Joseph already and not realize who he really is?

If you haven't read this book you should. If you haven't read any of Jodi Picoult's books you should. She is one of my favorite authors and here is another book of hers that did not disappoint.

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Review: Never Be Alone by Paige Dearth

Never Be Alone by Paige Dearth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Published: March 2018

Joon is eight years old when her parents are killed and she is put into the foster care system. For 4 years, she is with the same family, but the way they treat her is worse than you would an enemy. When Joon has her chance, she runs away an tried to make a life for herself on the streets. She sees more in her short life than many people experience in an entire lifetime. Will Joon be able to survive on the streets or will she succumb to the pressures of drugs and prostitution?

Thank you to NetGalley and Fiction With Meaning for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a book that every person should read. We have all seen a homeless person and I'm sure many of us judge them without knowing their situation and how they got to where they are. For some, maybe living on the street is better than their other choices.

In this story, I could see myself as Joon, going through life trying to survive, but I don't think I could have done all she did. This book will make you cry, it is absolutely heart wrenching. You want to jump in and try to save Joon. According to the Author's Notes(yes I read those), this book was taken from her own experience with homelessness.

Again, this is a book everyone should read. It will make you look at the world and the people in it very differently. We are all human and we all are just trying to make it through life with the cards we were dealt. Some of us were given a great hand, and others the worse, but it's what we do with it that makes all the difference.



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