House Rules: A Novel

Jodi Picoult

Apr 2010 · Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and the modern classics My Sister’s Keeper, The Storyteller, and more, comes a “complex, compassionate, and smart” (The Washington Post) novel about a family torn apart by a murder accusation.

When your son can’t look you in the eye…does that mean he’s guilty?

Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. He has a special focus on one subject—forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he’s always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he’s usually right.

But when Jacob’s small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob’s behaviors are hallmark Asperger’s, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are thrust directly in the spotlight. For Jacob’s mother, it’s a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, it’s another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob.

And for the frightened small town, the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?

House Rules is “a provocative story in which [Picoult] explores the pain of trying to comprehend the people we love—and reminds us that the truth often travels in disguise” (People).

Ratings and reviews

After last year's disappointing _Handle with Care_, I had higher hopes for this year's book. Ultimately, I was disappointed. I thought that the issue of Asperger's was an interesting one, but this book needed an editor who was willing to do more cutting. The book dragged on, there were many redundant scenes and to be perfectly honest, the length felt more like a ruse to mask the fact that the plot was predictable. I had guessed the ending about three pages after everything got moving, and spent the remaining four hundred or so pages trying to convince myself that it could not possible be so simple. Once I reached the conclusion, I was disappointed at how open-ended it was. The book followed her by-now-standard formula, and it certainly was well-written, but overall was a bit of a let down in the plot-department. I am looking forward to next year's publication, but after two disappointing years in a row, my hopes are not that high...

What can I say about Jodi Picoult? Every book she has written that I have read has become one of my favorites. I love her combination of a great story with depth and intelligence added in. All of her books that I have read have included some form of the law and a trial. I love these parts of the stories because they put the characters in different situation than their "normal" lives. House Rules is a story based on a family with a son who is living with Asperger's Syndrome. I have heard a few things on parents living with autism, but I absolutely enjoyed hearing the real day-to-day struggle of families living with this disorder. Without absolutely spoiling the basic premise of the novel, the family ends up in the courtroom where a child with autism has a hard time executing the proper social graces. I loved how Picoult switched from different points of view to keep the story moving along, but to also enable us to understand how each family member is affected by Asperger's and their trips to the courtroom. The one thing that I always seem to make sure is never to read two of her books in a row. They are so good and deep and though provoking that I can't handle more than one in a row. So I will be taking a short vacation from Jodi Picoult while I continue to digest this most recent read.

I shouldn't be writing a review of this book when I am not already finished with the book...Right now I am stalled...not because the book is bad but I think some things are going to happen soon that I am not quite ready for. I find myself always etting involved in Jodi Picoult books more than I should. Hope that I get busy and finish the book...they always have a few twists...so I can finish this review. Little slow starting but rolling now!

About the author

Jodi Picoult received an AB 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 twenty-seven novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers House Rules, Handle With Care, Change of Heart, and My Sister’s Keeper, for which she received the American Library Association’s Margaret Alexander Edwards Award. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children. Visit her website at JodiPicoult.com.