A Spark of Light Review

Title: A Spark of Light

Author: Jodi Picoult

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary

Published: October 2, 2018

Pages: 352

The Carpenter Confessions Rating:★★★★☆

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult, kept me on the edge of my seat with fear. This story felt so real with the reality of shootings and how they take place in the world today. It reminded me that your life can change with a flip of a switch or in this case, a sound of a gunshot. The emotions are definitely high when reading A Spark of Light.

A Spark of Light starts out in an abortion clinic in Jackson, Mississippi with women there for a variety of reasons. Then a man comes in with a gun prepared to take the clinic's  patients and employees hostage and is not afraid to kill some along the way. With multiple POV’s, told in third person, each individual has their own story on why they ended up in the clinic the day of the shooting. The story is written in rewind from the end of the day to the very beginning. This made for an interesting read and I’m not sure if I liked it or not. A Spark of Light, takes you on a frightening journey of an active shooter, A Spark of Light, shows the courage these people have to stay strong and alive in the midst of an outraged gunman. Will they be able to keep it up in order to survive this horrific experience?

While this book has its own storyline, there’s an underlying argument of pro-life and pro-choice, which makes you think about what you agree with. It shows both sides but doesn’t overwhelm you with abortion itself. It’s delicately snuck in there to show the arguments of abortion and the effects it has on each individual, while making it a story about the fear of an active shooter and possibly being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

In my mind, this book was worth the read. I’ve never read a Jodi Picoult book before and A Spark of Light was the perfect one to start out with. She threw all kinds of emotions in, at times you felt multiple at once. This book was not for the faint of heart. You feel a sense of fear for your life, but bravery and strength to keep yourself alive. Sadness when you see someone hurt, yet love when you think about who they are and the person they’ve become. I definitely plan on reading more Jodi Picoult books and would recommend them to anyone who wants an emotional read.

A Spark of Light got four out of five stars from me because while it was good, I didn’t love how the story was told backwards. It felt like at times the story got confusing because you can’t remember what happens after that. Also, I wish she went into more depth with the characters. Overall, it was enjoyable to read and I would recommend. Can’t wait to read more of her books!