Small Great Things

No one is more surprised than me by how delicately handled and well-developed this book is. The last time I read a Jodi Picoult book was probably around 15 years ago, and it was called The Pact. I've always thought Picoult's books were for a different audience. I decided to give this one a shot because some of my good friends recommended this without hesitation - people whose taste I respect - and the synopsis hooked me.

That aside, this book is great. It doesn't have the detailed prose that drives most of the fiction I read, but it has really excellent characters with fairly realistic - at least in my mind - conversations and dialogue. There are parts of the book that definitely make it fiction and not real life, but it handles these moments smartly. Picoult handles the nature of “invisible privileges” really well, and questions common thinking without shoving it down readers' throats.

The book feels very movie-like to me with its pacing and dialogue-driven writing, so it's not really a surprise that it's being adapted into a movie. Looking forward to seeing Viola Davis bring this to life.