 Hardcover USA edition | |
| Author | Jodi Picoult |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Atria Books |
Publication date | March 4, 2008 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 461 |
| ISBN | 978-0-340-93583-5 |
| OCLC | 166373133 |
| 813/.54 22 | |
| LC Class | PS3566.I372 C47 2008 |
Change of Heart is the sixteenth novel by American author Jodi Picoult, published in 2008. The novel explores themes of loss, redemption, religion and spirituality, and punishment.
A man, Jack, is killed by an impaired driver, leaving his wife, June, and his daughter, Elizabeth behind. At the scene of the accident, June meets Kurt Nealon, a police officer, who becomes a close friend and later June's husband. A number of years later, June is pregnant and Kurt plans to create an addition onto their home. A young man named Shay Bourne offers to help with the addition, to which June explains is "the beginning of the end."
Elizabeth, June's eldest daughter, and Kurt are found murdered. Shay, the construction worker, is identified as the only suspect. The case unfolds during the trial which becomes a media sensation. The jury convicts Shay of two counts of capital murder. The jury deliberates on the death penalty, and after much time, 11 members agree, with Michael Wright, a young man about Shay's age, being the last juror to agree on the death penalty conviction, after being coerced by the other jury members.
Shay Bourne is transferred to the I-tier at the Concord state prison. Shay resides in a cell next to Lucius DuFresne, an artist. During the night, Shay confides in Lucius that he wants to donate his heart to a little girl he saw on TV in need of a heart transplant. The little girl that on television that Shay spoke about is revealed to be the daughter of June and the late Kurt, Claire, who has a terminal heart condition.
June agrees to meet Shay in for a restorative justice meeting. There she asks him, "Why did you do it?" to which Shay answers cryptically, "She was better off dead." Out of spite, June agrees to take Shay's donated heart once he is executed. Maggie, an attorney, begins the legal process to petition the commissioner of corrections to allow Shay to be hanged rather than executed by lethal injection, so he will be able to donate his heart to Claire. Claire's doctor is able to determine that Shay is a perfect heart transplant match.
Maggie, Shay's lawyer, arranges a dinner meeting with Dr. Christian Gallagher, a doctor she's consulting to discuss organ donation for Shay. June sneaks Dudley, the family's spaniel, into the hospital to make Claire feel better, and a nurse reveals the upcoming transplant to Claire, which June hadn't discussed with her daughter yet.
Shay's trial begins, and Father Michael testifies to Shay's religious belief that he needs to donate his heart to Claire to be redeemed. Father Michael uses Shay's quotations from the Gnostic Gospels as his religious foundation. Ian Fletcher testifies as an expert on the Gnostic Gospels. Father Michael, privately, admits to Shay that he was on the jury that convicted him to death. Father Michael is able to locate Shay's sister, Grace, and tries to convince her to forgive Shay for setting the fire that ultimately disfigured her face. However, Grace actually started the fire in an attempt to kill their abusive father. Shay took the blame to protect his sister. While Shay testifies, all of his chains (including the belly chain and handcuffs) fall away from him for no apparent reason.
During Shay's trial, it is revealed that Kurt was sexually abusing his step-daughter, Elizabeth. At the time of the murders, Shay walked in on Kurt assaulting Elizabeth. Shay killed Kurt, who accidentally shot Elizabeth instead of Shay.
The trial concludes, and Shay is granted his request to be executed by hanging to be able to donate his heart to Claire.
Three weeks after Claire's surgery, she is able to go home. While resting at home, Grace, Shay's sister, visits her. Claire sees that her dog Dudley has died, but when she picks him up and holds him to her chest, his heart begins to beat again.
Change of Heart is written such that each chapter is from the point of view of one of the characters, either Maggie, Michael, Lucius, or June. According to Picoult, the narrators were set up like the Four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Accordingly, the Bible's Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John correspond to the narrators names.
In their review, Publishers Weekly said, "Picoult bangs out another ripped-from-the-zeitgeist winner. Picoult moves the story along with lively debates about prisoner rights and religion, while plumbing the depths of mother-daughter relationships and examining the literal and metaphorical meanings of having heart." The publication also said, "The point-of-view switches are abrupt, but this is a small flaw in an impressive book". [1] However, others say that the different viewpoints of the characters provide valuable insight to the story for the reader and abruptness is inevitable. [1]
Donna Seaman reviewing in Booklist writes, it is "a compulsively readable saga and dramatic critique of capital punishment". Seaman compares Change of Heart to The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, describing the novel as, "Laced with intriguing musings on the Gnostic Gospels, Picoult's bold story of loss, justice, redemption, and faith reminds us how tragically truth can be concealed and denied." [2]
Janet Maslin writing for The New York Times had several criticisms of the book. Maslin wrote that Picoult wrote the novel on "authorial autopilot", as it has the "subtlety of a jackhammer" and was made needlessly long by scenes such as Maggie chatting with her pet rabbit. Maslin asserts that June Nealon is "a wet hankie of a character, full of grief and anger, but otherwise lacking any distinguishing characteristics." She felt that Picoult missed her own chance at redemption, "had Change of Heart culminated in revelations that were truly plausible or unexpected, its vapidity might have been transcended. But there is no substance to the story's last surprises." [3]
In terms of public reception, Change of Heart debuted as number one on The New York Times Fiction bestseller list. [4] It remained at the number one position for two additional weeks, [5] before being knocked from the number one position on April 13, 2008 by Jonathan Kellerman's Compulsion . [6]
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On December 13, 2011 Paramount Pictures announced their plan to produce a film based on the novel. On December 26, 2011 it was confirmed that Paramount Pictures had obtained the film rights to the novel and MTV Films was lined up to co-produce. Peter Jackson, the director of Alice Sebold's novel The Lovely Bones , is slated to direct the film adaption with Fran Walsh writing the screenplay. In an interview on January 8, 2012 the senior president of MTV Films stated that they are no longer involved with the project.
On January 13, 2012 Paramount Pictures announced that the first actor to be cast was Sean Bean who will play the role of Shay Bourne. Selena Gomez was the first choice for the role of Claire Nealon but she turned down the project. Instead, Dakota Fanning was cast as Claire. On January 19, 2012 Rachel Weisz and Scott Porter signed onto the project to play as June and Kurt Nealon. On January 20, 2012 Screen Gems Production asked to co-produce the film in place of MTV Films.
On January 26, 2012 author, singer-actress Hilary Duff expressed her interest in the film.
Breathing Lessons is a Pulitzer Prize–winning 1988 novel by American author Anne Tyler. It is her eleventh novel and won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Jodi Lynn Picoult is an American writer. Picoult has published 28 novels, as well as short stories, and has also written several issues of Wonder Woman. Approximately 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide, translated into 34 languages. She was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for fiction in 2003.
My Sister's Keeper is the eleventh novel by the American author Jodi Picoult. Published in 2004, it tells the story of thirteen-year-old Anna Fitzgerald, who sues her parents for medical emancipation when she is told to donate a kidney to her elder sister Kate, who is suffering from acute leukemia.
Plain Truth (2001) is the seventh novel written by the American author Jodi Picoult. The story follows a murder on an Amish farm.
The Pact (1998) is the fifth novel by the American author Jodi Picoult about a possible suicide pact between two teenage lovers, and the journey that one must take after losing a loved one.
The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel Angels & Demons. The Da Vinci Code follows symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu after a murder in the Louvre Museum in Paris causes them to become involved in a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene having had a child together.
Duma Key is a novel by American writer Stephen King published on January 22, 2008, by Scribner. The book reached No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller List. It is King's first novel to be set in Florida, as well as the first to be set in Minnesota. The dust jacket features holographic lettering.
Ladybird, Ladybird is a 1994 British drama film directed by Ken Loach, starring Crissy Rock and Vladimir Vega. The film received positive reviews from critics, and Rock won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.
Keeping Faith (1999) is the sixth novel by the bestselling American author Jodi Picoult. The book is about a custody battle involving a seven-year-old girl, Faith White, who may be seeing God.
Nineteen Minutes (2007) is the fourteenth novel by the American author, Jodi Picoult. It was Picoult's first book to debut at #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. This novel follows the unfolding of a school shooting, including the events leading up to the incident and the aftermath of the incident.
Perfect Match (2002) is the ninth novel by the American author, Jodi Picoult. The novel explores the themes of family conflict, individual inner turmoil and guilt, personal and professional conflict, and vengeance. Though primarily, the novel focuses on child sexual abuse and (justifiable) murder. Unlike many of Picoult's other novels, Perfect Match does not follow the back-and-forth flashback format.
Salem Falls (2001) is the eighth novel by the American author Jodi Picoult. The novel explores what happens to a person when he is given a label and is not allowed to escape from it.
The Tenth Circle (2006) is the thirteenth novel by the American author, Jodi Picoult. The novel deals with date rape, and father/daughter relationships. The novel heavily references Dante Alighieri's Inferno.
Handle with Care (2009) is the 17th novel by the American author Jodi Picoult. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list.
House Rules (2010) is the eighteenth novel by the American author, Jodi Picoult. The novel focuses on a young adult male, Jacob Hunt, with Asperger's syndrome living in Townshend, Vermont, who is accused of murder. The novel follows the struggle between Jacob and his family, the law, and his disability.
Written in My Own Heart's Blood is the eighth book in the Outlander series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Randall and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fraser, the books contain elements of historical fiction, romance, adventure and fantasy.
Between the Lines is a young adult (YA) fiction novel co-written by the American author, Jodi Picoult, and her daughter, Samantha Van Leer. Between the Lines is Picoult's first YA novel, and Van Leer's first published work. The novel was published on June 26, 2012 by Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. Picoult and Van Leer authored a sequel called Off the Page, which was released in 2015 by Delacorte Press. Off the Page continues the story of Delilah and Oliver.
Small Great Things (2016) is the twenty-fifth novel by American author Jodi Picoult. The book focuses on race in America and revolves around the protagonist, a delivery nurse, named Ruth Jefferson. Small Great Things is being adapted into a film starring Viola Davis and Julia Roberts. This is Picoult's first novel with an African American protagonist.
Vanishing Acts (2005) is the twelfth novel by the American author Jodi Picoult. The novel is set in rural New Hampshire, and the story focuses on Delia Hopkins, a missing persons' investigator, and her family, including her young daughter, Sophie, her widowed father, Andrew, and her search and rescue bloodhound, Greta.
