Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Lindsay

Its heartbreaking. Its heartwarming. Its one of those books you just cant put down. Its The Tenth Circle. Jodi Picoult is a master of suspense in this novel about a fourteen year old girls life being turned upside down in a single night, and her long journey to putting the pieces back together.
When Trixie Stone starts off her freshman year of high school with a boyfriend, a jock in his junior year, she is thrilled. Up until her and Jasons three month anniversary, she is as happy as shes ever been. So when he dumps Trixie, its a shock to say the least. Even with the tough love counsel of her best friend, the oh-so-rebellious Zephyr, she is still head over heels, and devastated about the break up. To cheer Trixie up, Zephyr takes her to a party. Half the school is present, alcohol and drugs are present, but perhaps most importantly, Jason is there. In no time at all, Trixie finds herself exactly where she wants to be: sitting across from Jason and his best friend, playing strip poker, and trying desperately to prove to him that she is worth a second chance. Unfortunately, flirting soon escalades in to a series of events that Trixie would much, much rather forget. In fact, the happenings of that night have a life changing effect on every character in the book. You might even say a life ending effect for some, if you chose to be specific.
Daniel Stone, a stay at home dad and amateur cartoonist, is Trixies dad. Convinced that he and Trixie are too close for the parent-teenage troubles most families have, he believes he can protect his daughter from the evils of the world no matter what. He is certain that the violent, angry adolescent inside of him is gone forever, and is very much unprepared when events uproot old feelings and bring them back to life. The part of himself that hed thought hed exorcised turned out to have been only lying in the shallow grave where old personalities went to be discarded. Still, Daniels love for his daughter throughout the novel is unwavering, and he proves time and time again that he will go to any length to keep her safe and happy. To his dismay, he comes to realize that there are some things in life that parents cannot protect their child from, no matter how much of a superhero they aim to be.
Laura Stone, an accomplished English professor, is Trixies mother. The first thing we learn about her is that she loves teaching her students about Dantes Inferno. ..when you stripped it down, it was also the story of a guy in the throes of a midlife crisis, a guy who was reevaluating the choices hed made along the way. Not unlike Laura herself. Lauras insecurities and uncertainties are apparent in our first encounter with her. She is in her midlife crisis. Her relationship with her daughter is middling, her marriage rocky, and her affair with a student weighing heavy on her conscience.
After every chapter there are a few pages of comics that are (*made to be) copies of Daniels work. They add a lot of depth to the reading, showing us the complexities of Daniels thoughts and words, and revealing his true feelings about the situations; feelings he might not otherwise show. The detailed cartoons showcase a superhero father figure, The Immortal Wildclaw, going incredible distances to rescue his daughter from the inferno, metaphoric of Daniels struggle to stand by his daughter when everyone else has their backs turned.
This novel stresses the importance of family loyalty, and challenges the role of the parent in certain situations. How far should parents go to keep their child safe? What if what they think is protecting their child is only putting them in more danger? These are questions that you will have to answer yourself after reading The Tenth Circle.
The Tenth Circle earned five out of five stars from me for several reasons. First and foremost, the plot is complex and interesting, and kept me in suspense, just waiting for the pin to drop. It is realistic and imaginative all at once.
The characters in the book are astonishingly real to life. The language Jodi Picoult uses to describe them is filled with just as much respect as it is with criticism, leaving the final opinion up to the reader. I felt mixed emotions for all the characters in this novel. At times I was sad for them, at times I was frustrated, at times I admired them, but mostly I just read about them, consumed myself in them, stepped into their shoes. This novel is enjoyable for any gender, any age, and anyone who wants to jump out of the real world and into the world of fiction for a wonderfully exciting ride.