Sing You Home is Jodi Picoult’s eighteenth novel. It explores what it is like to be homosexual in today’s world. All the main character, Zoe Baxter ever wanted was to be a mother. After ten years and multiple miscarriages it looked like her dream was about to come true. But a miscarriage at seven months not only destroyed that dream but also Zoe’s marriage to Max.
In the aftermath, Zoe throws herself into her career as a music therapist – using music clinically to soothe burn victims in a hospital; to help Alzheimer’s patients connect with the present; to provide solace for hospice patients. When Vanessa – a guidance counselor – asks her to work with a suicidal teen, their relationship moves from business to friendship and then, to Zoe’s surprise, blossoms into love. When Zoe allows herself to start thinking of having a family, again, she remembers that there are still frozen embryos that she and Max never used.
Meanwhile, Max has found peace at the bottom of a bottle – until he is redeemed by an evangelical church, whose charismatic pastor – Clive Lincoln – has vowed to fight the “homosexual agenda” that has threatened traditional family values in America. But this mission becomes personal for Max, when Zoe and her same-sex partner say they want permission to raise his unborn child.
Sing You Home explores what it means to be gay in today’s world, and how reproductive science has outstripped the legal system. Are embryos people or property? What challenges do same-sex couples face when it comes to marriage and adoption? What happens when religion and sexual orientation – two issues that are supposed to be justice-blind – enter the courtroom? And most importantly, what constitutes a “traditional family” in today’s day and age?
The book is extremely emotional and very well written. From the start I felt empathy for Zoe and Max as they underwent their journey to become parents. I felt as if Jodi Picoult wrote in such a way that I was walking alongside both characters as they dealt with the miscarriage. It was written in such a way that I stayed up way too late turning the pages, as I really wanted to know what happened and which one of the main characters would end up happy, because I saw no way that both characters could be happy. Twists and turns mean the book ended in a way I never expected but was still very believable and stayed true to the characters.
The book also explores what might happen when Christianity and Atheism collide. This was very interesting as it also discusses if one belief is better than another when it comes to raising a child.
Another very interesting aspect of the book is it came with a CD. The CD contains original songs that correspond with each chapter and allow readers to actually hear the voice of Zoe. This is a very unique way of telling the story and I found that it made Zoe really come alive.
Overall while Sing You Home could definitely be considered controversial, I found it very relevant to today’s society and it certainly kept me turning the pages. The only criticism I have is the ending did not really deal with the Atheist versus Catholic issue, but otherwise I loved it.
Sing You Home wass published by Atria Books in 2011 and is 480 pages long.
Karen Peatt - Articles written by Karen Peatt
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