Handle with Care
by Jodi Picoult
A family facing the challenges of raising a child with severe osteogenesis imperfecta must decide whether to sue for wrongful birth to secure their daughter's future. Jodi Picoult explores the devastating impact of an impossible choice on a family that's already struggling.
Spoiler Warning
This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own discretion if you haven't finished the book yet.
My Thoughts
Handle with Care showcases Jodi Picoult at her best—taking a complex moral dilemma and exploring it from multiple perspectives with emotional depth and insight. The story centers on the O'Keefe family, whose daughter Willow has severe osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease). When a lawyer suggests they sue Charlotte's obstetrician for wrongful birth to secure Willow's financial future, the family is torn apart by the decision.
What makes this novel so compelling is that Picoult refuses to offer easy answers. She presents the lawsuit from multiple viewpoints—Charlotte, who sees it as the only way to provide for Willow's expensive care; Sean, her husband, who feels the lawsuit implies they wish Willow hadn't been born; Amelia, their older daughter who's been neglected due to Willow's constant needs; and Piper, Charlotte's best friend and obstetrician who becomes the defendant.
The legal framework of "wrongful birth" is genuinely thought-provoking. The lawsuit essentially argues that if Charlotte had known about Willow's condition, she would have terminated the pregnancy. But Charlotte loves her daughter deeply. The paradox at the heart of the case—loving someone while also wishing they'd never been born in order to secure their future—is morally complex and emotionally wrenching.
Picoult's research into osteogenesis imperfecta is thorough, and the medical details feel authentic without being overwhelming. The day-to-day challenges the family faces—constant hospital visits, financial strain, fear of Willow breaking bones—are portrayed with sensitivity and realism.
The novel's structure, alternating between different characters' perspectives, allows Picoult to show how the lawsuit affects everyone differently. There's no clear villain here—everyone is doing what they believe is right, but their choices have devastating consequences for their relationships.
My only criticism is that occasionally Picoult's need to present all sides makes the characters feel like mouthpieces for different arguments rather than fully realized people. But overall, the emotional impact is powerful and the moral questions linger long after the final page.
Why You'll Love It
- Complex Moral Questions: No easy answers to genuinely difficult dilemmas
- Multiple Perspectives: Seeing the issue from all angles creates depth
- Emotional Impact: Powerful exploration of family, love, and sacrifice
- Well-Researched: Authentic medical and legal details
- Character Development: Each character's journey feels meaningful
- Thought-Provoking: Questions about disability, choice, and love
- Picoult's Strengths: Everything she does well on full display
Perfect For
Fans of Jodi Picoult's other works, readers who enjoy morally complex family dramas, book clubs looking for discussion-worthy material, and anyone interested in exploring difficult ethical questions through fiction. Also great for readers who appreciate multiple-perspective narratives.
Final Verdict
Handle with Care is a powerful, thought-provoking novel that tackles difficult questions about disability, love, and the impossible choices families sometimes face. Picoult's signature style of presenting multiple perspectives creates a rich, nuanced story that challenges readers to think deeply about what they would do in similar circumstances. Emotionally impactful and intellectually engaging.
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