A review by danapr
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
5.0
Wow! Another timely and relevant masterpiece with a classic Jodi Picoult twist! The protagonist of the story, Diana has her life planned out to include a career, marriage, a move to the suburbs and eventually children. And she is on target to achieve all these goals. She and her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident at a New York City hospital are ready to take a vacation to the Galapagos islands and Diana is certain that Finn will propose while they are there. However, the day before they are set to leave, Finn is ordered by his boss to stay in the city to help fight the new Covid 19 pandemic. Through a miscommunication, Finn insists that Diana go on the non refundable vacation without him even though he really wants her to stay in the city. Diana travels to Isabela Island in the Galapagos only to arrive and find out that the island is closed due to the pandemic. She has nothing but her backpack and with no place to stay, mostly nonexistent Internet access and no ATM or money, she has to rely on the island residents, most of whom do not speak English. During her several weeks of isolation, Diana explores the island with her new friends, Gabriel and Beatriz and her experiences change her life forever. Meanwhile, back in New York City, Finn is experiencing his own life changing events while treating Covid patients who are severely ill and dying. The author very cleverly incorporates Finn’s experiences into the story by use of very descriptive emails to Diana which come through randomly to the island via sketchy Internet service.
In the afterword of the book, Jodi Picoult explains her extensive research for the book done while she was spending a year in pandemic isolation. Her beautiful descriptions of Isabela island will make any reader want to put this destination on his or her bucket list. But it’s not all paradise on the island. The author also masterfully incorporates complex relationship issues, teenage angst and issues of single parenthood into the storyline of Diana’s time on the island.
Once Diana and Finn are reunited, they begin to struggle with their own values and relationship issues, mostly brought on by the impact of the pandemic. As a reader, I really appreciate the author’s tribute to healthcare workers who are risking their lives daily to take care of Covid patients. As a nurse, I especially appreciate Finn’s comment about nurses being the real heroes in this battle. Picoult’s research also enabled her to include very real and descriptive after effects developed by Covid long haulers. All of the issues around the COVID-19 pandemic should never be forgotten and Jodi Picoult is definitely ensuring that these concerns are brought to the forefront in this fantastic novel. Even though the characters are impacted forever as a result of this horrible pandemic, Picoult ends the story with hope for the future. This book is hard to put down. Definitely one to stay up all night to finish. My favorite Jodi Picoult novel to date!
Also worth mentioning, I love the way the author incorporates the wisdom of Kitomi Ito, AKA Yoko Ono into Diana’s transformation.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy!
In the afterword of the book, Jodi Picoult explains her extensive research for the book done while she was spending a year in pandemic isolation. Her beautiful descriptions of Isabela island will make any reader want to put this destination on his or her bucket list. But it’s not all paradise on the island. The author also masterfully incorporates complex relationship issues, teenage angst and issues of single parenthood into the storyline of Diana’s time on the island.
Once Diana and Finn are reunited, they begin to struggle with their own values and relationship issues, mostly brought on by the impact of the pandemic. As a reader, I really appreciate the author’s tribute to healthcare workers who are risking their lives daily to take care of Covid patients. As a nurse, I especially appreciate Finn’s comment about nurses being the real heroes in this battle. Picoult’s research also enabled her to include very real and descriptive after effects developed by Covid long haulers. All of the issues around the COVID-19 pandemic should never be forgotten and Jodi Picoult is definitely ensuring that these concerns are brought to the forefront in this fantastic novel. Even though the characters are impacted forever as a result of this horrible pandemic, Picoult ends the story with hope for the future. This book is hard to put down. Definitely one to stay up all night to finish. My favorite Jodi Picoult novel to date!
Also worth mentioning, I love the way the author incorporates the wisdom of Kitomi Ito, AKA Yoko Ono into Diana’s transformation.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy!