Here's the back of the cover synopsis:
Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject--in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's--not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, flat affect--can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob and his family, who only want to fit in, feel the spotlight shining directly on them. For his mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication of why nothing is normal because of Jacob. And over this small family the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. One of the best things about the way she writes is that she tells the story from different character's points of view. Each chapter is titled the name of a character and she even changes fonts to show their different personalities. The story unfolds almost painfully slowly. And, of course, she always throws in a twist at the very end. Even though I know the twist is coming, I can never seem to figure it out!
I really liked this book... I think the story line was different than a lot of the ones she normally writes about. I would be curious to see if people who actually have Asperger's exhibit all of the traits she writes into Jacob or if she wrote in a few too many for dramatic effect.
As with any Jodi Picoult book, this is a definite must read... you won't be able to put it down for the last few chapters!
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