A Spark of Light: A Novel
Oct 2018 · Sold by Ballantine Books
4.4star
37 reviews
Ebook
400
Pages
family_home
Eligible
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About this ebook
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of Small Great Things returns with a powerful and provocative new novel about ordinary lives that intersect during a heart-stopping crisis.
“Picoult at her fearless best . . . Timely, balanced and certain to inspire debate.”—The Washington Post
The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.
After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.
But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order to save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester, disguised as a patient, who now stands in the crosshairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.
Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.
One of the most fearless writers of our time, Jodi Picoult tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation . . . and, hopefully, understanding.
Praise for A Spark of Light
“This is Jodi Picoult at her best: tackling an emotional hot-button issue and putting a human face on it.”—People
“Told backward and hour by hour, Jodi Picoult’s compelling narrative deftly explores controversial social issues.”—Us Weekly
“Picoult at her fearless best . . . Timely, balanced and certain to inspire debate.”—The Washington Post
The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.
After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.
But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order to save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester, disguised as a patient, who now stands in the crosshairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.
Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.
One of the most fearless writers of our time, Jodi Picoult tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation . . . and, hopefully, understanding.
Praise for A Spark of Light
“This is Jodi Picoult at her best: tackling an emotional hot-button issue and putting a human face on it.”—People
“Told backward and hour by hour, Jodi Picoult’s compelling narrative deftly explores controversial social issues.”—Us Weekly
Ratings and reviews
4.4
37 reviews
Amy Scherbarth
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June 8, 2019
One of my favorite authors who always writes intriguing books about interesting topics. However, this book felt a little repetitive to me due to the way it was written (how many times did Olive & Wren introduce themselves to each other? or Hugh think about how he should not be working the case due to a conflict of interest?) and after reading the author's note, it seemed she just wrote a book heavily based on the actual place she visited in Mississippi instead of creating an actual fictional place. I was also a bit disgusted to learn details of a 15 week abortion... tiny recognizable body parts? But apparently just because it looks like a baby doesnt make it one. I did enjoy the twist at the end of the book so overall, I enjoyed it, i just expected more.
6 people found this review helpful
Jamie Smits
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April 7, 2019
I'm not one who would never in my .ifemhave an abortion! I've known many women who have had more than 1 for their own selfish reasons. Young women today need to know that abortion is NOT A FORM OF BIRTH CONTROL!! I live by my grandmother's saying, which is, "You play, you pay!" Meaning if you are going to have unprotected sex, you need to know there are consequences in having unprotected sex. You can end up pregnant or worse, getting a STD and a few are not curable. It's a big deal! Women of all ages dont let anyone tell you what to do with your body.
Bonnie Hardin
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October 8, 2018
Yep, for every pro-whatever. Political, religious, moral....all would benefit from the example of talking through differences vs demonizing "other" as shown in this book. Our world's full of examples of the misery & shame we perpetrate through our every connection. Not so well publicized are examples of what Ms Picoult so eloquently portrays. Thanks for all who added to the book, thank you for writing it Ms Jodi Picoult.
12 people found this review helpful
About the author
Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three novels, including Small Great Things, Leaving Time, The Storyteller, Lone Wolf, Sing You Home, House Rules, Handle with Care, Change of Heart, Nineteen Minutes, and My Sister’s Keeper. She is also the author, with daughter Samantha van Leer, of two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire.
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