House Rules
A Novel
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4.2 • 124 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
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).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Perennial bestseller Picoult (Handle with Care) has a rough time in this Picoult-esque blend of medical and courtroom drama that lacks her usual storytelling finesse. Eighteen-year old Jacob Hunt has Asperger's syndrome, and his devoted single mother, Emma, has built their family's life around Jacob's needs, sacrificing her career to act as his caregiver and all but ignoring a younger son, Theo. But when Jacob is accused of murder, that carefully crafted life comes apart, and all of the hallmarks of Jacob's diagnosis begin to make him look guilty. Emma hires a young attorney whose attachment to Jacob brings him close to the family as he struggles to mount a defense for Jacob, whose inability to read social cues makes him less than an ideal client. While Picoult's research is impeccable and she deals intelligently with charged questions about autism and Asperger's, the whodunit is stretched sitcom-thin and handled poorly, with characters withholding information from the reader throughout. Picoult's writing, line by line, is as smooth as ever, and she does a great job of getting into Jacob's head, but the wobbly plotting is a massive detriment.
Customer Reviews
House Rules
I was totally involved in this story. I have an adult daughter with Asperger's. I, like Helen, wanted to keep Zine in the main stream of life. I never put a title on her to explain why she was different. I now wonder if I was in denial. I wondered if I was to blame somehow. I never spoke to Zine about why she was different until she was nearly 30 and still living home. Anyway, I felt. Comfort in readying this story and seeing all the traits that Zine has lived with, in print. It was like a validation , of sorts. She is a wonderful girl and has brought so much joy to our lives. Thank you Jodi.
House Rules
Picoult helps us to understand the family dynamic of having a special child with autism and paints such an accurate picture of Asperger’s Syndrome that it resonated with me on many levels. I am the mother of a child with Asperger’s who seldom sees a portrayal of the real feelings that a family can experience with this syndrome. I can see and hear myself. I can see my daughter, the only sibling of my autistic child. I can see my ex- husband and his inability to cope. Most stories/ films miss the mark on autism but she nails it. Kudos to her research and insight.
I Owe This Author Everything!
I bought this book in hopes I could get my mom to read it and understand what life is like in my shoes ( I have Asperger's too ) ...... No other book clearly showed just how it felt, day by day, the constant assault to the senses and the confusion of social interaction.
Now my mom has purchased every one of Jodi's books!
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