2017 Jun 17
Somewhere between belief and doubt lies faith. For the second time in her marriage, Mariah White catches her husband with another woman and Faith, their seven year old daughter, witnesses every painful minute. In the aftermath of a sudden divorce, Mariah struggles with depression and Faith seeks solace in a new friend… a friend who may or may not be imaginary.
Faith talks to her “Guard”constantly; begins to recite passages from the Bible— a book she’s never read. Fearful for her daughter’s sanity, Mariah sends her to several psychiatrists. Yet when Faith develops stigmata and begins to perform miraculous healings, Mariah wonders if her daughter– a girl with no religious background– might indeed be seeing God. As word spreads and controversy heightens, Mariah and Faith are besieged by believers and disbelievers alike, caught in a media circus that threatens what little stability they have left.
Without a doubt, Jodi Picoult manages to leave people dumbstruck with the words she writes and Keeping Faith is book that does just that. As it is with most of Picoult’s novels, this book revolves around intense courtroom drama. Parts of the story actually make you wonder, “Is Faith actually talking to an angel?” and it takes you on a roller-coaster of emotions. From Colin White’s multiple affairs and cheating to Mariah’s battle with depression, Picoult ventures into a wide spectrum of sentiments.
Personally, reading the book in the different points of view, makes the story all the more engaging, and will definitely challenge the reader think in various perspectives.
Rating: 4/5
