The Storyteller: Jodi Picoult

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
Genre: Historical/Contemporary
Published: 2013
Pages (paperback): 460

First there was Josef, a young man being groomed to be a German officer. There was also Minka, a young girl sent to the concentration camps where Josef is working. Today, there is her granddaughter Sage, a bread baker as per the tradition of Minka's family. When Sage encounters Josef (who asks her to kill him, believing that he deserves to die after his past), she is faced with many questions. Should she kill him? Or should she forgive him? As she embarks on a mission to persecute Josef, she explores these questions and learns about her grandmother's experiences along the way. The story is also interspersed with snippets from a story Minka wrote during her childhood, which has some parallels to the horrors she experiences. 


One of my biggest problems with many books is how the author insists on giving their main character a romantic relationship when the book doesn't really call for one. That is because they often a) are distracting b) add nothing to the novel or c) are really inappropriate for the story being told. The Storyteller's annoying love story accomplished all those things. I want to discuss it in detail just because I feel like it really dumbed the book down.

The relationship between Sage and Leo (the government official she's working with to bring Josef to justice) was random and unnecessary. It's like Picoult said, "Oh look, my main character is single. Oh look, here's a male main character! They clearly are meant to be!" The last 25% of the novel mostly focuses on their relationship, which is jarring considering readers have just finished with reading about Minka's experiences in the camps...just another reason why their relationship is so inappropriate here. The superficial love story also lessens the seriousness of the book as a whole. Previously, they had worked well and were intense about what they wanted to get done in bringing justice. But then we get to the last 25% of the book and their mission is filled with flirty banter. So much for this book tackling serious issues; now going after Nazis is just a fun game to them because they are MADLY AND CRAZILY IN LOVE!!!!

Even if the book was going to be solely about their relationship, it wasn't written well. Picoult is already dropping constant hints about them starting a family on the second day they meet, and the hints appear a few times. Did I mention they hardly know each other? Is this Disney? Leo's appearance as a significant other also automatically puts Sage in good standing with her sisters, who she wasn't getting along with. Yep, in the book all about forgiveness, that's how she resolves her sibling relationships. She lands a boyfriend who's cool. Generally, this type of love story all seemed really inappropriate in a book dealing with the Holocaust, especially considering parts of their flirty banter occur during funerals and their mission to bring Josef to justice. Not that it might end well for them after all- Picoult isn't clear about what happens next, but it seems like Sage could be off to prison. 

I'll say it one time for the authors in the back: just because a character is single does not mean they need a love interest. I really just wanted to hear about Minka, Josef, Sage, and the power of history and forgiveness on our lives. 

That was a shame, because otherwise I really liked this book. The historical flashbacks were my favorite I think, and it was obviously well-researched. Minka's story had me hooked from the beginning. I wanted to look away, but couldn't. It was both terrible and unputdownable at once. The dialogue about the difficult forgiveness concepts was really interesting too, especially approached from various belief systems, but Picoult still allows readers to decide for themselves. Even Sage's Christian boss, Mary, has some interesting perspective on the situation. The final ending was a thriller in itself, although I would have liked a little more rationale for having the "twist" other than Picoult wanting to include shock value. I'm beginning to realize that I'm not sure I like this author's style of endings. 

There really was no easy answer for the ending, though; forgiveness is a complicated concept. It's worth reading for the Holocaust narrative and the interesting theme. But I think that many readers, myself included, will be miffed that it turns into frivolous chick lit.

This book had me hooked but will ultimately earn 3 stars out of five (because of the ridiculous, inappropriate romance). If it weren't for that, it would have been 4.5 stars.