mind BLOWN

House Rules – Jodi Picoult

Autistic youth, forensics, forensics analysis, Asperger’s syndrome, mystery, fiction.

Rating 11/10

Jacob is a crime solving obsessed teen with Asperger’s syndrome. He has a knack for analyzing crime scenes on his television show and one that he saw in real life. Someone goes missing and the Hunt family is now in the spotlight and Jacob is a murder suspect. When they find the person, they find evidence that points to Jacob committing the murder. The odds are stacked against Jacob, but the unraveling of evidence points in a different direction.

This novel kept me on my toes and I simply loved Jacob. He reminds me of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory of how particular a person is with Asperger’s. The actor has Asperger’s which he was allowed to bring his own experience into the character he played. I personally felt that the author did do a lot of research in both Asperger’s and criminal forensics to be able to make the narrative more believable with accurate representation. I felt so angry when the section of the book was about trying to convict Jacob that the other side was just trying to get Jacob behind bars and was extremely ignorant. Lawyers are supposed to do their job but what really got me was that Jacob’s lawyer was able to address the fact that in a real court scenario, if one of the people were disabled that they can have accommodations. Besides the legal aspect of the novel, Asperger’s is hard for families to endure and it is no one’s fault that the individual’s wiring is different. All we can do is be supportive and we should be a more supporting community towards Asperger’s instead of shunning them away. Offer them more accommodations and allow them to be able to interact in society the way they choose to be. Be more welcoming and accepting. Also, to end the whole ableist agenda because just because someone is different abled doesn’t mean that that can’t do great things. They are capable and not in ways that society outlines. I really loved this novel. Highly recommend.

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Witchcraft and LIES

Salem Falls – Jodi Picoult

Drama, crime fiction, witchcraft, drugs, crimes, fiction.

Jack was falsely accused of a crime he did not commit and had to pay for that with eight months in jail. After he got out, he vowed to find a new place to call home since his hometown banished him from ever coming back. He finds a new town called Salem Falls. After getting well adjusted history repeats itself and he is damned determined to be coming out innocent.

I had wanted to read a different author and had picked this novel up months ago. I enjoyed every single moment of this novel the first time and the second time I read this novel I realize why the first time I was hesitant. The start is slow and then builds up. I prefer these types of books because slowly one gets hooked onto the pages. The past and present being separated by chapters assist the story further. I was screaming for the plot to be revealed again. Therefore, I love this novel. It makes me angry and anxious in a good way. I love being kept on my toes when reading a novel.

Teenagers Can Be Troublesome

Salem Falls – Jodi Picoult

General fiction, romance, drama, mystery, thriller.

Rating 12/10

Jack got released from being in prison for eight months due to a crime he did not commit. When he arrives at Salem Falls, he immediately has to do what all sex offenders must do, tell the local authorities. Addie was a mother, still mourning after her daughter’s death and her father’s alcoholism. What she did not need is the inspector to close her diner for a simple need to repair a washer. Reluctantly, Jack enters and Addie forces him to play along with her story about him being the repairman to come and fix it, Jack plays along. Addie hires Jack. Both grow close to each other, Jack revealing his past and Addie reveals her past to him. Someone leaked the information about Jack to the entire town, threatening him to leave, but they do not know the entire story. Now history is repeating itself and Jack must face what is yet to come. At the last moment, new evidence comes to light proving that Jack was innocent on both accounts of the crimes.

This novel started off slow and slightly annoying. However, as Picoult builds up the storyline, the plot got more interesting and revealed more of the story later on in the plot. I thoroughly was invested in the plot more and more to the point I’d eventually had finished the book. I was angry at the whole cliché but this time I was fine with the cliché of man claims to be innocent and the twist was that he was innocent. What I wasn’t satisfied is the aftermath, what would the new evidence have created? I hope that maybe the author might write a sequel that highlights this information and expands that plotline further. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and the author intrigued me to read more of her works.