The Tenth Circle

Discover the unbreakable bond between a father and his daughter in Jodi Picolt’s New York Times Bestseller . . .

I have read only one Jodi Picoult book before The Tenth Circle, but I proclaim myself as a complete fan of her work. Her stories are gripping and deal with challenging subjects that make us embrace our life even more despite the sacrifices we always seem to make. Upon finishing my second Picoult book, I can now say that I don’t think I can read one without crying. Picoult’s master story-telling really reaches deep down to your heart and a pulls a few strings because it all feels so real and so close. The Tenth Circle went far up and beyond what I expected from this author; I really couldn’t put the book down for even one second.

The novel explores the complex relationship between a protective and loving father who would jump through fire and ice for his little girl, and a daughter who seems to be growing up too fast. Then, there is a mother who seems out around the edges of this relationship, who’s not home too much and taking part in an extramarital affair to make up for a longing she can’t quite put her finger on. It is not until the tragic rape of their daughter by an ex-boyfriend that a family can come together to put together the pieces of a life not yet fully complete or emotionally fulfilled.

What I found most interesting about this novel were its individual characters. Much of the novel revolves around the father-figure, a mild-mannered comic book artist named Daniel. Daniel has a past he likes to keep under wraps because he is a different man now, transforming the frustration of his past onto the pages of a comic book. Then there is the mother who was attracted to her husband because of the wild and unpredictable man he used to be. She craves for the past they used to share and makes up for her desires with a hidden affair with a student that reminds her so much of the Daniel she first fell in love with. Trixie Stone is the daughter, a girl whose life seems perfect until an act of violence takes away her last sense of innocence. This act tests the bonds of family and love as a father comes to the rescue to keep his daughter from harm, and a mother works her way back into the life of her daughter.

Not only was the storyline of Trixie’s rape and the criminal investigations to follow page-turning, but so was, and even more so, the narrative of Daniel’s childhood growing up as an outcast in Alaska. The story of Daniel’s past helps the reader understand the parts of him he exposes after Trixie’s rape – a man who would do crazy things for revenge. The peek into the past at Daniel and his wife as two star-crossed lovers allows the reader to make more sense of the conflict between the parents that began way before Trixie’s rape. All of these hidden emotions, desires, and frustrations of Daniel and his wife come out and constellate themselves into a vulnerable configuration that is open to be picked apart and dealt with when their daughter is in need of not just one parent, but both at the same time.

Picoult is incredibly articulate in her portrayal of Daniel Stone’s transformation from the only white boy in a town who takes out his aggression on everyone around him, to the man who lives openly for the love of his daughter. Each chapter of the novel is accompanied by Daniel’s comic book portrayals of his determination to not let his daughter suffer the effects of rape and the entire town turning against her. The novel was a perfect mixture of both past and present. Daniel Stone was the most standout character to me because of his relentless passion of being a father, and the resurfacing of traits he has suppressed for the past 15 years. It was compelling to watch a grown man fall back onto the instincts he grew up learning in the wilderness to survive under the modern day circumstances abruptly thrown upon his shoulders. It really challenges the belief that one can change or reinvent themselves thoroughly. I realized that the past can never be forgotten, and can hold the key to our strength in surviving the challenges of the present. As a daughter myself, the portrayal of a parent-child bond holding strong even after the diminishment of innocence and trust really struck a cord with me. This novel is one of the most touching reads this year, and it is a story that I will never forget.

Published April 29, 2010 on LVCMag.com