Audiobook Review: Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

Here I am, playing catch-up again. How does this happen? Unfortunately, I never seem to be far enough ahead... *sigh*

A few months ago, I listened to the audiobook of Jodi Picoult's Sing You Home. Here's the summary, courtesy of Goodreads:

Every life has a soundtrack. All you have to do is listen. Music has set the tone for most of Zoe Baxter’s life. There’s the melody that reminds her of the summer she spent rubbing baby oil on her stomach in pursuit of the perfect tan. A dance beat that makes her think of using a fake ID to slip into a nightclub. A dirge that marked the years she spent trying to get pregnant.
For better or for worse, music is the language of memory. It is also the language of love.
In the aftermath of a series of personal tragedies, Zoe throws herself into her career as a music therapist. When an unexpected friendship slowly blossoms into love, she makes plans for a new life, but to her shock and inevitable rage, some people—even those she loves and trusts most—don’t want that to happen.
Sing You Home is about identity, love, marriage, and parenthood. It’s about people wanting to do the right thing for the greater good, even as they work to fulfill their own personal desires and dreams. And it’s about what happens when the outside world brutally calls into question the very thing closest to our hearts: family.

I'm going to give a bit of a spoiler here, so please be aware.

*spoiler alert*spoiler alert*spoiler alert*

 

Zoe gets divorced relatively early on in the novel. This isn't even the largest portion of the storyline--when Zoe falls in love again, it's with a woman. Her ex-husband, after the divorce, becomes deeply religious. When he finds out his former lover, Zoe, falls in love with a woman, he faces a significant amount of confusion between the Lord's word and his own beliefs. When Zoe and her new wife approach Max, the ex-husband, about using the eggs produced from Max and Zoe's invitro to create a child for Zoe and her wife to raise, Max becomes even more confused and goes to the Church--and the court-- for answers.

 

This novel is very well-told and engaging. Even my fiance, who hates audiobooks, couldn't help but get wrapped up in the story. Bottom line? I loved it. One more score for Jodi Picoult. 

 

I purchased this as an audiobook, and I'm so thankful I did. I'm not sure how the text version of the book is formatted, but in the audiobook, you hear Zoe singing during her music therapy sessions. It's extremely well-done, and I would recommend others purchase this as an audiobook as well.

 

Rating: 5/5

 

Also, I would like to do a quick shout-out to my American readers and wish them all a happy Independence Day! :)