466 pages
One miscarriage too many spelled the end of Max and Zoe Baxter's marriage. Zoe wanted to keep trying to have a baby, but Max couldn't stand to go through all the stress or see his wife get hurt again. After veering into alcoholism, Max becomes a born-again Christian and falls into the arms of his brother's super-conservative church. Meanwhile, Zoe finds comfort in a new friendship with Vanessa, a school counselor she met earlier through her job as a music therapist. Before long, however, Zoe and Vanessa realize that their feelings for each other are deeper than they initially thought. After a whirlwind romance, Zoe and Vanessa get married and decide to have a baby together so Zoe can finally be a mother. They plan to use the leftover frozen embryos from Zoe and Max's in vitro attempts, but first they have to get Max's permission. Feeling pressure from his pastor and congregation, Max takes Zoe to court to keep her from using their embryos to have a baby with Vanessa.
Of the Jodi Picoult books I've read so far ("My Sister's Keeper," "Change of Heart," "Nineteen Minutes"), this is my least favorite. The pacing just seemed so off to me. Zoe's shift from Max to Zoe (and straight to lesbian) seemed abrupt and unlikely, as did Max's sudden conversion to fundamentalism. I didn't have any trouble predicting the ending, either. I liked getting the different viewpoints on this controversial issue, but both sides seemed oversimplified to me and I couldn't relate to any of the characters. The conflict was interesting enough to keep me reading, but that's about all that made me continue.
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