The Storyteller by Jodi PicoultMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I had already written a short Goodreads review of Jodi Picoult's "The Storyteller." However, I'm going back and writing a longer review because I wanted to post it on my blog. So here goes...
I'm a fan of Jodi Picoult's work, and I've read most of her books. I love that she deals with complex, controversial, usually contemporary social and ethical issues from multiple, nuanced perspectives. There are many shades of gray (not those shades) in Picoult's exploration of issues. However, she does tend to be formulaic (virtually every novel has a "surprise" twist at the end) and a bit cheesy at times (read the obligatory romance between detective and client). So I wasn't sure what to think of her delving into the Holocaust with "The Storyteller." Fortunately, in the harrowing portions of the novel depicted from the point of a young woman deported to a Polish ghetto and then Auschwitz, she drops most of her usual tropes and her writing is at its absolute best.
Like most of Picoult's novels, "The Storyteller" is told from multiple perspectives. It opens in modern-day New Hampshire, where Sage Singer is a young culturally Jewish woman with scars both physical and emotional. Eschewing most social contact, she works nights as a baker. At a grief support group, she meets an elderly German man who tells her his name is Josef. Sensing that they each carry scars and remorse, Sage and Josef form an unlikely friendship. Then Josef confesses the unthinkable: he was a Nazi SS officer, and he wants Sage to help him end his life.
As the shocked Sage comes to terms with what Josef has told her and asked of her, she delves not only into issues of justice and forgiveness, good and evil, but also into her own past, family history, and personal identity.
Josef's revelation has personal significance to her because her grandmother, Minka, is a Holocaust survivor. Piccoult narrates several chapters from the young Minka's perspective, and her writing in these chapters is clear, sharp, and heartbreaking. Minka is a woman of incredible courage and resilience,and the reader naturally roots for her as her world is uprooted at the tender age of 18. Piccoult minces no words in describing the horrors Minka endured, but she shows how Minka's cleverness and her friendship with another young Jewish woman helped her maintain her humanity.
It's clear that Minka, a budding writer, is "the storyteller" of the title, and in some ways she is a more central character than even Sage. Strewn throughout the novel are bits of a fantasy story Minka writes about two brothers who are upiors, or Polish vampires. These bits of the novel are a bit confusing at first, as they are scattered throughout the book, but once the reader realizes what they are it is clear how they fit with the larger story. Yes, vampires have become cliche in our post-Twilight world, but Minka's vampire story seems to deal with themes, like whether evil is inevitable or can be turned into good, that Stefanie Myer tried less successfully to explore.
The chapters of "The Storyteller" that take place in the current age are slightly less effective, as Picoult resorts to some of her favorite formulas. A romance between Sage and Leo, the FBI detective she contacts to help her deal with Josef, is unrealistically paced, and much of Leo's dialogue and narration is heavy on the Velveeta. Some of the minor characters, like bakery owner Mary, are compelling, but some, like the bakery employee who only speaks in Haiku, are pointless, unbelievable stock characters that don't really serve any purpose. And Sage's character is not nearly thoroughly developed enough. While the reader knows that she has both minimal self-esteem and burdens of guilt and remorse, Picoult does not reveal why until more than halfway into the novel. As a result, Sage just comes across as whiny and self-interested for much of the novel. While Josef's revelations launch an inner transformation in Sage, this seems to happen far too quickly with the causes of Sage's anguish and inner turmoil not fully explored.
Of course, like all Picoult novels, "The Storyteller" ends with a twist, and it was a twist I did not see coming. Sometimes Picoult's twist endings seem forced, but this one leaves the reader with a lack of closure that is integral to the story. Parts of "The Storyteller" may be difficult to read, but it is a book that will leave you thinking long after you put it down.
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