Keeping Faith [Hardcover]

This was my second book by Jodi Picoult, and I will definitely be reading more by her. As with THE PACT, KEEPING FAITH centered on a controversial topic, something that would be seen in today's headlines. In KEEPING FAITH, there are two themes - one of a family being torn apart by infidelity and divorce, and the other one centering on the child that is caught in the middle. But this is not any ordinary child custody story. What happens here is something that is only seen in Catholic history books and other religious literature: Seven-year-old Faith is discovered to have powers that are akin to miracles performed by Catholic saints.

Faith's news brings the media to their home town, everyone wanting to witness and spread the tale of this little girl who can bring back the dead, who is suffering from stigmata (spontaneous bleeding from the hands and feet), and can perform other miracles. Her mother Mariah is trying her best to deal with this plus deal with her broken marriage. With the help of her mother, Mariah tries to make sense of what is happening. When her ex-husband Colin finds out what is happening to Faith, he uses this to point fingers at Mariah, telling the world she is causing her own daughter to suffer and become a media circus. He files for custody, when only a few months ago he had walked out the door, not bothering to look back. Faith is torn between her two parents, and at the same time finds herself in the middle of this mystery about herself, not knowing why she is able to do what she does.

KEEPING FAITH is a riveting, complex story that will keep the reader interested till the very end. It is what I definitely call a page-turner. Highly recommended!

Author Bio: Jodi Picoult grew up in Nesconset, New York. Her previous novels include "Plain Truth," "Mercy," "Keeping Faith," and "The Pact." Jodi Picoult received an A.B. in creative writing from Princeton and a master's degree in education from Harvard. The recipient of the 2003 New England Book Award for her entire body of work, she is the author of ten previous novels, including "Second Glance", "Perfect Match", and "Salem Falls." Jodi Picoult's novels center on family, relationships, and the balance of love. Riveting plots bring to light questions and issues that remain with a reader long after the last page is turned. Eleven of her published books have been critically acclaimed.

Evaluation: Many people have their own opinions of Mariah and Faith. When it came to the custody battle between Mariah and Colin, Mr. Metz took advantage of the fact that Mariah was institutionalized. He made her out to be a mentally unbalanced person, as well as an unfit parent. Many people as well as the media felt that Mariah was the one who made Faith pretend she was seeing God. Towards the end of the novel, Mariah won custody of Faith. Everything worked out for the better. Also, the curious people still didn't know if Faith was really seeing God or not, because everyone had their own opinions and beliefs about it.
Overall, "Keeping Faith" is an extremely well written novel. Jodi Picoult kept me reading until the end. I just couldn't seem to put this novel down. It deals with love, heartbreak, judgments, battles, and religion. There are so many elements that keep the reader wanting to know what happens next. I love the fact that at the end, the people are left not knowing whether or not Faith was really seeing God. It just depends on your opinion or belief. I definitely recommend that everyone should read "Keeping Faith," by Jodi Picoult.