Wish You Were Here: a completely gripping, unputdownable novel from bestselling author of Mad Honey Paperback – 18 Aug. 2022

‘Wish You We’re Here’ by Jodi Picoult is a novel that she hadn’t expected to write. Yet I am very pleased that she did. I found this an amazing book, though it can be hard to find the right words when a novel has had a profound effect, yet I will try.First, a word of caution: Jodi Picoult has never shied away from writing about uncomfortable subjects. This novel contains graphic accounts of people with Covid-19 as well as its wider consequences. It is a novel that I would also suggest reading ‘cold’, so only a brief summary.Friday, the 13th March 2020 and Diana O'Toole's life is going well. At the age of twenty-nine she has a job she loves as an art specialist at Sotheby's New York and has recently secured an important client; an achievement that likely will lead to a promotion. She and her boyfriend, Finn, are about to leave on vacation to the Galapagos and she suspects that while there he is going to propose. So far it could be the set up for a romance novel.Then Finn, a surgical resident at a NYC hospital, advises Diane that with the increasing cases of the new virus that the hospital needs him to stay. He insists that she should still go and reluctantly Diane agrees.However, as Diane arrives in the Galapagos the world is shutting down, including her destination, Isabela Island. She elects to stay but finds herself stranded, with only intermittent news from the outside world. While on the island she makes connections with local people as well as with nature, and begins to contemplate aspects of her life to date. No further details to avoid spoilers.As noted above, Picoult does not hold back on depicting the effects of the virus, not only on those infected but by loved ones distraught when unable to visit or say goodbye as well as the experiences of members of the medical profession. It considers the grief and loss, both personal and collective, experienced by many during the pandemic.It also portrays how people responded to quarantine, lockdown and restrictions: baking, box sets, boredom, learning to Zoom, and the like. It brought back vivid memories of those early days of the pandemic when uncertainty was high.I was blown away by this novel on many levels. Given that Diane is sharing her story in the first person, though with additional material, it is an personal account.There was its central story though I was also drawn by details of the exclusive art world in which Diane works; an appreciation of the natural world and, given the location of the Galapagos, musings on Darwin’s theory of evolution. Spirituality and the sense of purpose also plays an important part in the narrative though in a subtle way. Perhaps most importantly is the journey that we all face in coming to terms with death.I appreciated Jodi Picoult’s Author’s Note in which she details the intense research that she undertook in order to portray experiences by inviting survivors to share their accounts.I also expect that ‘Wish You Were Here’ will prove popular with reading groups as it offers a great deal of scope for discussion alongside a good read.Despite a theme that appears dark, there is still hope interwoven throughout. As one character says to Diane: “we are in uncharted territory…The future is completely up in the air.”Overall, I feel that ‘Wish You Were Here’ is an important novel. A novel with heart that is complex and multilayered, yet accessible. It has also given me new perspectives to consider.Very highly recommended.

I liked the premise behind this book, being set during COVID made it particularly moving in places. The last few chapters felt like they were racing to get to a sadly predictable and disappointing ending. The book is mostly strong and engaging but then peters away and you can feel indecision about where to take the story, the abrupt end is just very flat, so that's why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars.

I started reading this book and thought it was a bit slow for a Jodi Picoult book but I started to enjoy it and carried on reading and was utterly amazed by the twist which I was not expecting. Good holiday read

So after reading The Book of Two Ways and being so disappointed that I thought I’d never read another of Jodi’s books, when I saw this I considered for a while whether to buy. I chose to give her the benefit of the doubt and ordered.The first half of the book was very enjoyable. I loved the descriptions of the Galapagos, Beatriz’s story was touching and so relevant in today’s world although the John Lennon/Yoko Ono reference was disappointing. Why not invent her own character? I was left a little perplexed by Finn’s emails with so much detail about the treatments and care of Covid sufferers. It took me back to the Book of Two Ways with its descriptions of ancient Egyptian beliefs and rituals. Almost like she wants to ‘show off’ all the ‘interesting’ stuff she knows. Giving the reader the benefit of her knowledge whether it’s really essential to the storyline or not. A little condescending….?After the twist, I felt that the story lost something although the rehabilitation sections were very interesting. I just wasn’t as engaged in the storyline anymore. Maybe it came a little too early in the book…..?The reason I fell in love many years ago with JP’s books was because of the way she was able to present an issue from many perspectives and I never knew what her own opinion was. Her earlier books made me think, opened my mind to how one situation can be seen so differently by different people. There’s none of that in Wish you Were Here. Its quite clear what JP’s opinions on the whole pandemic are and she wants her reader to know! That’s not what I expect or want from JP and I hope her writing gets back to something more like My Sister’s Keeper, The Pact and Small Great things. There are so many aspects, issues and questions about this global pandemic we are living through and the subject matter for this novel felt like one of the easier options, more of a rom-com than I would have expected from an author who has previously written so brilliantly about difficult situations.All in all a fairly enjoyable but unchallenging read.

Engaging read with interesting timelines and philosophical questions.