Book I recommend: "The Storyteller" by Jodi Picoult

I have always been skeptical to read a Jodi Picoult book. I’m not quite sure why; my roommates all read her in college, my mom highly recommended her books, and I loved the movie My Sister’s Keeper. What was it that made me hesitant to read her?

I have no answer, but I’m glad my first experience with her writing was “The Storyteller.” Kyle got me the book for Christmas, based on the fact that the main character is a baker. He pushed “Click to Buy” before going on to read that the book was also about the Holocaust. At that point, he wasn’t sure if Princess Michelle could handle such an emotional story, but it turned out to be the best book I read in 2013.

Sage Singer is a baker who distances herself from people as much as possible due to a notable scar on her face, which is a result from other dark memories. She attends a grief support group to overcome the loss of both her parents. At a support group meeting, Sage meets 90+ year-old Josef Weber, who later confides a deep, shameful secret to Sage, which takes us into another story altogether.

Midway through, Sage's grandmother becomes the narrator as she retells her story as a Holocaust survivor. This is where the book really took off for me and got very emotional. Once the grandmother started her story, it was very hard to put the book down. From there on, the book is full of shocking moments and surprising twists that had my mind blown.

From beginning to end, I was very impressed with the writing style of Jodi Picoult and her ability to tackle such powerful themes. The biggest theme in this book, I'd say, is forgiveness, and she depicts it beautifully.

“Forgiving isn't something you do for someone else. It's something you do for yourself. It's saying, 'You're not important enough to have a stranglehold on me.' It's saying, 'You don't get to trap me in the past. I am worthy of a future.”

I really like this message from the book. It's not like it's something I haven't heard before, but it's such a powerful thought. It's so hard for the majority of us to actually do something for ourselves that it's no wonder we hold on to grudges, that we don't relieve ourselves from hard feelings. It's easier for us to be angry, hurt or bitter, although perhaps the best thing for us is just to let go of that hold someone has on us. We don't take the time to mentally reflect and internally forgive the ghosts that haunt us. Like setting aside time for a massage or splurging on that nice coat you've had your eye on, forgiving someone else might just be something we have to do for ourselves once in a while. It hurts to cave and give in, but it's something we know we wanted.

And on a fun note, the incorporation of breads, croissants and rolls in this book is mouthwatering.