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FICTION
The Storyteller
Jodi Picoult
Allen and Unwin, $29.99
VERDICT
A page turner I didn't want to put down
FIRST, I have to make a declaration. I love a good Jodi Picoult book.
While others may call them predictable and formulaic, there are few things I enjoy more than having a couple of hours to read one of her books. And The Storyteller is no exception.
It's about Sage Singer, a baker and a loner who has been damaged by her past. She prefers to work at night so that she can avoid meeting new people and making friends. One day, however, she begins to develop a friendship with Josef Weber, a retired teacher who has a secret -- a rather large one at that. He was a Nazi SS guard and he wants Sage to kill him.
While Sage battles with the information, especially in light of the fact that her grandmother was a prisoner at Auschwitz, where Weber was stationed, she has many decisions to make.
The story cuts to Sage's grandmother as the war first broke out and Jewish people were forced to live in designated areas and then taken to concentration camps.
The book asks many questions. Can you redeem yourself after committing terrible offences?
Should you turn in a murderer even if it's many years after the event?
Picoult manages to combine a well-researched historical event with a moral dilemma in this novel. It's an easy read...