Sing You Home: A Novel

From beginning to end I enjoyed the story, the characters and the issues it brought to life. Highly recommend this book!

Sixteen years ago, I wrote a novel about a custody fight over the child of a lesbian couple after the birth mother was killed. ( In a Family Way , available from Amazon as a paperback or Kindle e-book.) Her surviving partner and co-mother, one of three contestants for their baby, was a woman in her mid-forties who had lost custody of her older children solely because of her sexual orientation. Since that time, great strides have been made toward achieving equal rights for Americans who are lesbian or gay, including the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the passage of same-sex marriage in six states plus the District of Columbia. Yet although much has changed, Jodi Picoult's gripping novel highlights how much bigotry and discrimination still exist. For in her very current novel, the mother's fitness to parent children is also challenged solely because she is a lesbian, married to another woman. Over two hundred readers have already posted reviews, and it strikes me on skimming them that quite a few seem to regard the book in a positive or negative light depending on their attitudes toward homosexuality and equal rights for GLBT (Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual or Transgender) people. So I'll state my own views up-front: one of my two wonderful daughters is a lesbian, and my husband and I also have a gay nephew who, with his partner, is doing a first-rate job of parenting their adopted son. And I certainly believe that my daughter and nephew deserve equal rights! Sing You Home is definitely an "issue book" in the proud tradition of older novels like Gentlemen's Agreement or Consenting Adults; as another reader put it, it shows a "political agenda" on Picoult's part. This is an agenda that Picoult forthrightly admits, as the proud mother of a beloved gay son, and to me it is a plus rather than a minus. Picoult does a great job of portraying Zoe and Vanessa as normal people, with all the virtues and flaws that other ordinary people have. And I was happy to see other readers say that the novel had opened their eyes to the roadblocks and injustices faced by GLBT people. But readers familiar with Jodi Picoult's earlier novels know that this author never writes books that are simply tracts, but rather well-plotted, compelling reads. Her latest is no exception. In Sing You Home, the custody fight is not over a baby or child who has already been born, but over three fertilized embryos being kept in storage at the fertility clinic where Zoe Baxter and her ex-husband Max have spent much time, and thousands of dollars they could ill afford, in hopes of having a baby. The story is told by three viewpoint characters: Zoe and her ex-husband Max, who are the contesting parties for the embroyos, plus Vanessa, the school guidance counselor whose relationship with Zoe starts with friendship but develops into love and marriage. As far as their readiness to be parents, the cards would seem to be stacked against Max. Zoe is a graduate of a prestigious school of music, who uses her talents in the helping profession of music therapist. (I was not familiar with this field and found the description of her work moving and fascinating.) Max, on the other hand, is a recovering alcoholic, with a faltering landscaping business, who walks out on Zoe after her most recent pregnancy comes heartbreakingly close to a successful delivery. But Max has an ace up his sleeve in the fight for their embryos. He doesn't intend to parent the potential baby or babies himself; instead he has found a couple with impeccable Christian morality, who he and his lawyers are sure will trump the standing of a lesbian couple. I found all three to be well-developed characters, though Max and Zoe interested me more than Vanessa, as both of them experienced profound changes in their self-identity during the course of the book. (Vanessa is most compelling in describing the pain of having to hide her true identity through much of her life.) Max is driven by a life-threatening accident to becoming a born-again Christian, and Zoe is stunned to realize that she is fully capable of falling in love with another woman. And though other readers have criticized Picoult for characterizing Vanessa and Zoe as nearly perfect, I didn't find them to be so. A number of other readers have criticized Zoe's outspoken intolerance of religion, and I agree with them. Walking out on Christmas dinner because Max's brother and sister-in-law emphasized the religious aspects of the holiday was not only rude but hurtful to both her in-laws and Max. (I tend to doubt that Jodi Picoult meant this to reflect her own views on religion; as a fiction writer I know that characters reveal themselves to writers, warts and all, rather than being made up from whole cloth.) But I also thought that Zoe's insistence on wanting to try to get pregnant again after the stillbirth -- even though her doctor strongly advised against it, saying another pregnancy would be life-threatening -- was a flaw on Zoe's part. Her demand that they go through another IVF cycle was the "straw" that prompted Max to leave her at such a traumatic time for her, but Zoe should have realized that his lapses back into drinking -- something she was aware of but ignored -- made him a poor source of emotional support. Max is weak, though hardly evil, and his account of the peace and support he finds as a newly born-again Christian fascinated me. Unfortunately, despite the support and acceptance he finds, the pastor of his congregation is virulently anti-gay, and it is largely at his insistence that Max goes to court to deny custody of the stored embryos to Zoe. I didn't feel, as some reviewers did, that the author condemned all Christians without distinction, but only the fundamentalist, right-wing churches that would demonize Jodi Picoult's child and mine for the orientation they were born with. The outlook of the congregation Max joins is closer to that of the Westboro Baptist Church, headed by Fred Phelps, which specializes in picketing funerals of fallen American service members, than to most mainstream congregations that I'm familiar with. And indeed, I have numerous friends who belong to accepting, welcoming Christian churches. Phelps' group came to my mind, incidentally, because Jodi Picoult placed them as onlookers in the courtroom, rooting for Max and his conservative lawyers to win. (This was something that surprised me - not that Phelps and his congregation would be against a lesbian couple raising a child, but that there was a large audience sitting in court throughout the trial. When I did research for the courtroom scenes of In a Family Way, I asked to sit in on a family court custody hearing, but was told the courtroom was closed to all but parties involved in the case.) It also surprised me that Picoult gave both Zoe and the woman Max announced his intention of donating the embryos to the same infertility problem of multiple miscarriages. Though it was acknowledged that the latter might not be able to carry the embryos to term should she become pregnant with one or more of them, it was brushed aside by her husband saying, "but maybe she can." I thought the conflict might have been stronger if she had an infertility issue that kept her from becoming pregnant to begin with, but not in carrying a baby to term. And I also -- again, like other readers -- would have liked to know what happened to Lucy, though as she had only a year-and-a-half till her 18th birthday, she had probably left home for a better environment by the time of the epilog that ended the story six years later. But these are minor quibbles. I couldn't stop turning pages -- a turn of phrase only, as I was actually clicking the Next Page button on my Kindle -- to see how this conflict would be resolved. And maybe it's only because the endings to my own books have the same kind of twists, but I loved the ending Picoult came up with.

Goodreads Description- One miscarriage too many spelled the end of Max and Zoe Baxter's marriage. Though the former couple went quite separate ways, their fates remained entangled: After veering into alcoholism, Max is saved in multiple senses by his fundamentalist conversion; Zoe, for her part, finds healing relief in music therapy and the friendship, then romantic love with Vanessa, her counselor. After Zoe and Vanessa, now married, decide to have a baby, they realize that they must join battle with Max, who objects on both religious and financial grounds. There are so many things I wish I could say about this book. I was at a loss of words when I finished it, and I still am speechless. But I want to write this review while the emotions it evoked are still at their strongest. Picoult's characters are splendid - by the middle of the book I was immersed in Zoe's yearning for children and Max's difficulty with alcohol abuse, and I felt like they were real, breathing people. Vanessa's no-nonsense attitude I admired, and side characters like Dara and Lucy I came to love as well. The writing was superb as always. The way she engages readers with detail and finesse is extraordinary. It is quite obvious she spent a great deal of time researching not only fertility treatments but IVF in particular. I am also amazed at the legal details she presents concerning GLBT rights as well as Evangelical Christian beliefs. She sites legal cases on both sides of the fence and I am sure Picoult has received positive and negative feedback from both sides of the aisle. Which leads me to the element that really made me appreciate this novel- Picoult's take on gay marriage, and homosexual inequality in contemporary society. I cannot adequately state how inspiring this book was to me in that regard. At first she seems to just present the facts and beliefs from both the Christian right and the GLBT community. It then becomes clear where the author stands when it comes to civil rights for ALL people. I applaud her courage for writing such a controversial book that strongly supports gay rights. What an inspiring read for any person who is having difficulty with coming to terms with their own sexuality. I normally do not leave quotes from books, but as a liberal Catholic, these words really stood out for me. It is so powerful and eloquent but so simple to understand that I had to include it in my review. "I remember my mother telling me that, when she was a little girl in Catholic school, the nuns used to hit her left hand every time she wrote with it. Nowadays, if a teacher did that, she'd probably be arrested for child abuse. The optimist in me wants to believe sexuality will eventually become like handwriting: there's no right way or wrong way to do it. We're all just wired differently. It's also worth nothing that, when you meet someone, you never bother to ask if he's right- or left- handed. After all: Does it really matter to anyone other than the person holding the pen?" My own hopes for the future are that it never matters who is holding the pen. 5 stars!!

I enjoyed this book tremendously. I enjoyed reading it from all the characters perspectives. Easy read and very good. I recommend for sure.

I enjoy most of Jodi Picoult's books so it doesn't surprise me that I liked Sing You Home. In the book we meet Zoe and Max Baxter, a loving couple who have tried for almost ten rears to conceive, including utilizing IVF and coping with the sorrow of multiple miscarriages. Zoe, a music therapist and Max, a landscaper, are thrilled when Zoe becomes pregnant, and at last things appear to be going well. That is until the 28th week of her pregnancy when Zoe loses the baby- actually delivers a stillborn son that they name Daniel. The storyline really develops from there and tells how they eventually moved forward with their lives. Max found religion, and Zoe found Vanessa. It is a moving journey as Max and Zoe find themselves in completely different worlds, and seem to forget the love they once shared. Sing You Home is about preconceived ideas, prejudice, organized religion,gay rights, sexuality, music, family and love. While not my favorite Picoult book, it is a lovely, although at times sad, read. There are also some very funny, laugh out loud lines, not something I have experienced in many of her books. All in all, Sing You Home is a very satisfying novel, enjoy. 3.5 Stars.

I am never disappointed with a Jodi Picoult book, but “sing you home” exceeded all my expectations. I read the ending twice because it was so unexpected and so wonderful. What a magnificent read!

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult is a story told from the perspective of the three main characters in it: Zoe, Max and Vanessa. The story begins with Max and Zoe as a married couple suffering through infertility. They have gone through repeated cycles of IVF, and Zoe wound up losing a baby late in pregnancy to stillbirth. At this point, Max decides he can't be married to her anymore and asks for a divorce. Max is a weak link, an alcoholic without the ability to make decisions for himself, even after he quits drinking. He becomes a born-again Christian, which appears to solve all his problems at the beginning. The church he joins is Evangelical, and believes everyone is going to hell and they should crusade against pretty much all of society that isn't exactly like they are. Max is living with his brother Reid and sister-in-law Liddy, who are devoted church members themselves. Zoe eventually comes out of her depression after losing both her baby and her husband when she starts spending time with Vanessa. She already knows Vanessa through work. Zoe is a music therapist who works with senior citizens as well as dying, autistic, and depressed children. Vanessa is a counselor in the school Zoe works in. First, they are friends. Zoe is aware that Vanessa is gay, but doesn't think much about it until she realizes that she has fallen for Vanessa, who is already half in love with Zoe anyway. They begin a relationship which leads to marriage, but they cannot get married in Rhode Island and must go to Massachussetts to do so. Eventually, Vanessa offers to carry a child since Zoe cannot, and they ask Max for access to the embryos that were left from the marriage. This is when everything begins to happen. Max, being now a religious Christian, is horrified that his ex-wife is now "choosing" to be gay, and his Pastor hires an Evangelical Christian attorney who's main work is to crusade around the country spreading hate everywhere he goes. They start a court case to keep Zoe and Vanessa from getting the embryos. This story is extremely emotional, and well-told from both sides. Although it is clear Ms. Picoult falls on the more liberal side of the political spectrum, she handles both sides of the story and all character's viewpoints equally. It would have been easy to paint Max as "the bad guy", but he truly is not. The Pastor and the lawyer are definitely shown as the nasty human beings they are, always so convinced that they are right, and manipulating everyone else to do their bidding. Max is such a character, so easily swayed by their machinations. But in the end, he does stand up for himself, rather than just his newfound beliefs. I enjoyed this book, but some of it was difficult to read. I am aware of those loudmouth political people who are out there spouting hate left and right, but in the interest of my own sanity, I usually try to avoid listening or reading about them. This was a bit enforced, as it was crucial to the story. It's hard to hear such hatred being spewed at anyone, whether I am part of the group or not. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the topic. It was well-written and very timely in it's subject matter. I hope someday to revisit this story and find it dated in it's viewpoints.

Max and Zoe have been married for nine years. The majority of their married life has been consumed by their pursuit to get pregnant. When both of them prove to have fertility problems, they begin the arduous IVF treatments. When the book opens, Zoe is 24 weeks into her pregnancy, when she suddenly begins to bleed heavily. The baby has died and the doctor induces labor. Of course, they are inconsolable, but Zoe wants to try again with the remaining 3 embryos which have been frozen. Max confesses he can't go through this anymore and wants a divorce. The reader then learns more about Max and his ever present insecurities and his alcoholism. When Max has a nearly fatal accident because he is driving drunk through a major snow storm, he is visited by the pastor of his big brother's evangelical church. Max finds solace in the church and his brother and his wife. Meanwhile, Zoe, who is a music therapist, makes friends with Vanessa who is a high school guidance counselor. Vanessa asks Zoe to work with a girl who has tried suicide and is difficult to reach. Zoe and Vanessa become close friends and look forward to spending time together. Vanessa is a lesbian , but knows she shouldn't fall for Zoe. One day, however, Zoe realizes she loves Vanessa and they fall deeply in love. They get married, which when this book was written, was still allowed only in certain states. They travel to Massachusetts because they live in Rhode Island. They start making plans and decide to take the 3 frozen embryos and Vanessa will carry the baby. But Max must consent. Now things get really complicated. The result is a trial to see who should get the embryos. Heart-rending and very messy. I like the way the author presents both sides and the reader can feel sympathy for both of them. The author speaks to the fact that homosexuality is not a choice, but a very human condition. The gay couple has a right to love each other and make a family just as much as a heterosexual couple. Many people still have a problem accepting these relationships and I am sure this type of situation has actually occurred. I believe MS Picoult is a strong advocate for any one has a right to love and make a family with anyone who makes them happy. However, the situation is quite difficult and someone is bound to be hurt. But, as fraught as the story is with hurt and pain, we want to keep reading because the reader wants to know how things will be resolved. It is a good story and well written.

un libro che consiglio a tutti di leggerlo.ho letto la prima volta il libro in lingua italiana con il titolo "l'altra famiglia".ora ho comprato anche la versione inglese in lingua originale.un tema molto scottante,l'omosessualita con la voglia di diventare genitori..brava come sempre la scrittrice jodie picoult!!

Very controversial subject very well researched and well written. Loved this book and couldn't put it down. Congratulations Jodie Picoult on another great story.

Enjoyed this book

This was the first Jodi Picoult book that I have read - I'd heard of her, of course, but I had always thought of her as a "chick lit" writer (this may have something to do with the cover designs, or the people who recommended them to me!). Particularly as a lesbian, I did not imagine that she would have any characters whom I could identify with. So when my mum told me about the subject matter of this book, I thought I'd give it a try, though I admit I was a bit hesitant. I started it on a Friday evening after work and finished it that Sunday, sitting on my bed with tears streaming down my face! It is a beautifully written, compelling novel which I could not tear myself away from. The characters have so much depth and feeling - Zoe's mother in particular I found wonderfully endearing and very funny! The novel is written from the perspective of Zoe, her ex-husband and her new partner. It deals with some major issues (which I am led to believe is Picoult's modus operandi); grieving for mis-carried children, infertility, same sex relationships and people's reaction to them, religion and use of embryos, to name a few. Music and it's use as a therapy form the backdrop for this novel as Zoe is a music therapist and fittingly the book also comes with a soundtrack (a song per chapter), which I have not listened to as I did not have my headphones handy - however I intend to re-read it with the music very soon! I cannot recommend this book enough - if you are considering buying it, just do it - you won't regret it.

Nach langer Zeit wollte ich mal wieder ein Buch auf englisch lesen. Dieses ist fließend geschrieben, sodass man es schnell runterlesen kann. Außerdem ist es eine rührende Geschichte. Selber bin ich auch Musiktherapeutin und kann sagen, dass die beruflichen Berichte im Buch diesen facettenreichen Beruf realistisch wiedergeben.