The plot revolves primarily around Mariah and her 8 or 9-year-old daughter Faith. The book starts with a promise: Mariah catches her husband cheating on her right in their house on a normal day. She is shattered, their daughter clueless but realizes something's not right between her parents. The marriage is on the verge of breaking. While Mariah is recuperating from this emotional shock, Faith starts conversing with a friend, presumably visible to only her. She calls her guard, is a female dressed as an angel and Faith claims it's God! What surprises Mariah and her mother Millie is, Faith is able to recite verses from the Bible, despite the family being Jewish, and even so, have an agnostic view over the religious beliefs.
The reader is then introduced to Ian Fletcher- a TV celebrity and atheist who runs a show on a National TV channel that busts myths about superstitions and God! He sets his eyes on Faith and is hell-bent on proving that Faith's claim is a lie. Most of the story revolves around Mariah's struggle on protecting her daughter Faith from unwarranted media attention, then challenging the custody lawsuit for the daughter filed by her Husband and a battle within herself if she is being a good mother to her child. The last few chapters narrate the courtroom drama and the pressures it has over the characters.
I don't have much to say about the strengths of this novel apart from the way it starts. It shows a lot of promise and the reader is intrigued by what is really happening with Faith. A lot of questions are raised regarding Faith and the reader anticipates that all these will be explained as we near the climax. Unfortunately- this never happens. When you finish the book, no question is answered and philosophically too, it avoids the closure to the discussion about faith in God. There is a romantic too and it looks like it was forced into the plot. Some scenes in the narration that are devoted a lot of space and description don't really add value to the primary story and we wonder why was it needed.
With regards to how Mariah's husband, Colin's character is portrayed- it looks like it's being picked from the book: "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus". That, men are all about fixing things and that is all they have on their minds. Ian Fletcher the other male character also lacks depth and it looks like the character is confused about himself (maybe the author was).
Regarding the ending: the author has tried to keep the ending open for interpretation, with a subtle message: about the mother and child relationship. However, what disappoints me is: it leaves a lot of loose ends unattended and forgotten. The overall impact of the plot lacks depth, and in the end, the readers think: was it really worth the time and effort?
Personally, it will be difficult to pick another novel by Jodi Picoult. Maybe I started with the wrong novel. Maybe... just maybe I might read another title from her in the future that delivers better. This time, it seemed like a promise not kept by the author.
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