Let me start out by saying, this book is priceless. It's characters are so well-developed and multidimensional, I can see every single character having their own book. The imagery is beautiful and the plot is stunning. I would recommend this book 10/10. That's how good it is.
My Sister's Keeper follows a thirteen year old girl, Anna. She lives with her parents and two siblings, Jesse and Kate. Sounds normal, right? Of course not. Kate has leukemia and Anna was genetically engineered to donate bone marrow to her. Anna provides bone marrow, cells, blood, you name it to help Kate. Anna lives her life to save another. She has to stay home from camp for her sister, quit her sport for her sister, have surgery for her sister, sacrifice a normal life for her sister. And she doesn't have a choice. When her parents want her to donate a kidney, a surgery that has numerous risks, Anna quits. She goes to a lawyer and seeks medical emancipation (for those who don't know, this means Anna would make all medical decisions about her body by herself). What ensues is an epic tale of love and law, cancer and conclusion.
I thought I would hate Sara. She treats her children unfairly. Not only does she place Kate above everyone else, she restricts Jesse and Anna's lives to benefit Kate's. Jesse feels so lost that he resorts to violence to feel seen. Anna goes to a lawyer to find herself. But as I read the book I came to realize that there really isn't a truly good or truly evil person. We all have our good and bad qualities, and Sara has her bad qualities thrust into the spotlight. She may not be the best mother, but she did what she did because of her undying love for Kate. Some people may say that she didn't truly love Anna, but I think she was blinded by what she thought was best.
Campbell and Julia have a history. They were high school lovers until Campbell left Julia. But from their first interaction. you can see they're still in love. The connection between them feels so real and painful, it's beautiful. Like I said, they need their own book.
I was torn throughout the entire book. Yes, Anna should have the rights to her own body. She shouldn't have to ruin her life for Kate. But if she decides not to donate a kidney, Kate will die and their family will never be the same. Anna will probably regret not doing what she could have, and she would lose her best friend. As Sara says, "There is nothing, believe me, I'd rather make you do less. But if you don't, Anna, then one day, you're going to wish you had." Anna feels pressure from all sides, and she''s in one of the hardest positions to be in.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
What I didn't like: The entire book, Campbell makes up silly excuses for why he had a service dog ("I have an irregular heartbeat, he's certified in CPR) Granted, these provided humor in a much-needed somber book. But I was waiting for some big reveal towards the end. Turns out, he has seizures and the dog can predict them. I'm not saying seizures aren't' a big deal, I just feel like the author looked up something random that service dogs are needed for and added it in. It didn't relate much to the plot, besides being the reason that Campbell left Julia (what an idiot). Also, at the beginning the POV changes were jarring and I often found myself halfway through a chapter having to turn back and see who was speaking.
Kate told Anna not to do the transplant. That realization changed the whole book for me. When Anna turned to the law, she was not only gaining the right to her body, she was granting her sister's wish.
And the ending. Some people hate it and others like me…well. I certainly didn't love the ending but I found it shocking and a realistic end to a book that had nothing to do with fairy tales. It would have been great to see Anna donate the kidney, her family be happy, Campbell and Julia marry, and everyone live happily ever after. But that's not how life works. The emotional impact of her death is huge, and I mean on the reader. Brian realizing who was in the car. Campbell bursting out of his hospital room to find Anna. Sara saying goodbye.
The thing is, Anna was going to give Kate a kidney. She made the decision on her own. And for those who wanted her to not give a kidney, well. You got the ending you wanted. Either way, a young girl would have died.
END OF SPOILERS
In the end, this book is about relationships. The love between a mother and a child and how far she will go to protect them. New friendship between two vastly different people, and romance between past lovers. And overall, the relationship you have with yourself. Finding out what you truly want in life, and running with it.
I recommend this book to anyone ready to have themselves question what is right, wrong, and in between. You'll see the good and bad in people, and how they interact. The life-like characters, beautiful imagery, and stunning premise adds up to an outstanding book. I'll leave you with one last quote.
“You don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they're not.