The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
The Tenth Circle was my second Jodi Picoult book, the first being Nineteen Minutes (which I liked better, read my review here). Although I liked this book, I have a feeling it’s not Picoults best work. It seemed really formulaic, editing could have been tighter, and I could see the twist ending coming from a mile away. So therefore, not shocked or surprised when it happened.
A short synopsis from Picoult’s website:
When Daniel Stone was a child, he was the only white boy in a native Eskimo village where his mother taught, and he was teased mercilessly because he was different. He fought back, the baddest of the bad kids: stealing, drinking, robbing and cheating his way out of the Alaskan bush – where he honed his artistic talent, fell in love with a girl and got her pregnant. To become part of a family, he reinvented himself – jettisoning all that anger to become a docile, devoted husband and father.
Fifteen years later, when we meet Daniel again, he is a comic book artist. His wife teaches Dante’s Inferno at a local college; his daughter, Trixie, is the light of his life – and a girl who only knows her father as the even-tempered, mild-mannered man he has been her whole life. Until, that is, she is date raped…and Daniel finds himself struggling, again, with a powerlessness and a rage that may not just swallow him whole, but destroy his family and his future.
I liked the parallels between Daniel, the father, and Trixie, the daughter. How they were so similiar to each other but yet didn’t know each other at all. In this book, Trixie goes to a wild party with drinking and all kinds of sex games. This was an eye opener for me. I was a good kid, never partied, and didn’t have friends that partied as well. I guess our idea of a good time was hanging out at the Barnes and Noble. Anyways, if high school parties are really like this, I’m glad I’m not in high school anymore. And I felt so sorry for Trixie when she went back to school after being raped. The kids were cruel! Why do kids have to do this? Was I just blind or was my high school really like this and I just didn’t notice?
I also thought it was interesting that the parents in this book are always turning a blind eye to their child’s activities when they suspect what’s really going on. I just can’t imagine ignoring something that I know my child is doing and I don’t approve of it. Seriously, teenagers need to be reigned in a bit more. Sure parents don’t know everything that’s going on, kids don’t tell their parents everything that’s happening (I certainly didn’t, sorry Mom), but in the book it’s almost as if the parents knew but chose to let the kids be responsible for themselves. And look where that got them? It got them one messed up family.
On a side note, this book is filled with comic book panels (Daniel, the father, is a comic book artist). Picoult tells us that there are 86 hidden letters in the background of the drawing, these letters spell out a qoutation that sums up the theme of The Tenth Circle. Please, if you know it, tell me! I really want to know, but really don’t want to “play” this little game.
Visit Jodi Picoult’s website for a short video about the book, and a group discussion guide. Purchase The Tenth Circle from my BookWise bookstore and it will be shipped to you from the closest Baker and Taylor fulfillment warehouse.
My next Picoult book will be My Sister’s Keeper. Looking forward to it.
I want to know what the quotation is too! I read this book a long time ago but never felt like trying to figure it out. YOu’ll definitely enjoy My Sister’s Keepr.
on March 8th, 2008 at 9:39 amI read this book as part of the CafeMom book club. The answer was in the forum: Nothing is easier than self-deceipt. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true. Demosthenes.
on March 8th, 2008 at 10:41 amAs I was reading this one I noticed a letter here and there, but I never felt compelled to “figure” it out. I think if you go to Picoult’s website it is listed there–honestly I wasn’t all that interested.
This is my least favorite Picoult book (I’m working on #7? right now). Her books are a little formulaic, but with the right subject matter the books can be pretty consuming.
I was also shocked at the behavior of Trixie. I’m 26…so being her age was not all that long ago for me. I know my sisters got into a little more trouble than I did…but Trixie is 14!! I have a 16 yo step-sister and it makes me cringe that those things could be going on at the parties she goes to. Let’s hope not!!
Hope you continue to like her works. I agree with Heather–My Sister’s Keeper is one of my favorites (sorry for such the long comment!).
on March 11th, 2008 at 6:35 pmTrish - No need to apologize for a long comment. Keep them coming! I can’t believe how sexually active the kids were in this book. The “games” that they played were disgusting. Does nobody respect sex anymore? And I agree, at 14! I think Trixie needed some moral values thrown at her. But then again, where would the story be without this key element. It’s a book that does make you think about it. My two little boys are just two and 10 months and I’m already scared at the peer pressure they’ll have.
on March 11th, 2008 at 8:19 pmThis was my first Jodi Picoult book. Having nothing to compare it to, I thought it was pretty good. Lately I’ve been enjoying fiction that is a little more realistic. To me, this was it. I’m not happy to be thinking that this is what goes on in high schoo, but it doesn’t really surprise me. I just hope that as a mother I teach my daughters better respect for themselves.
on April 23rd, 2008 at 7:32 amI haven’t read a Jodi Picoult book yet. I own this one and several others but will read My Sister’s Keeper first for a book challenge. I hope that it lives up to the hype.
on April 27th, 2008 at 5:02 amI’m 14, and I though that all the games that Trixie and her friends were playing were pretty disgusting. Luckly, I haven’t been around anything that bad yet.
My friends and I have all gotten hooked on Jodi Piccoult books, and this is the third one that I’ve read. I’ve read My Sister’s Keeper, and Plain Truth. So far, I think that Plain Truth is my favorite. The ending was SUCH a supprise, unlike the one in The Tenth Circle. As I was reading, I was debating in my head whether or not it was Zephyr or Laura that killed Jason. I didn’t think that it was a very good supprise ending. The book was good though, and I would recomend it to just about anybody, unless of course they haven’t heard about the “games”.
on May 11th, 2008 at 2:34 pmI am 14 as well,
and I do know people that party pretty harcore(not me)..but holy man, that rainbow game was disgusting.
I can understand as a kid how some parents would just not know what their kids are doing, kids nowadays have gotten pretty sneaky.
I enjoyed this book, but agree it is not one of her best. it seemed sort of predictable and didn’t reel me in nearly as much as my sisters keeper or 19 minutes.
on May 11th, 2008 at 7:30 pmSarah - Jodi Picoult is very realistic. If you’d like this one I’m sure you’d like her others as well.
Tracee - I have My Sister’s Keeper and hope it lives up to the hype as well. I’ve been looking forward to reading it.
Ashley & Elizabeth - Thank you so much for your well thought out comments. I love hearing a perspective from a teenager. I too was grossed out by the games. If that’s what kids do to party nowadays, count me out. I admit I was pretty sneaky as a kid as well, but I got the feeling from the books that the parents knew more than they were willing to admit. It’s as if they were to scared to find out what their kids were really up to. As a parent myself, I understand the need to trust your kids, but when they’re getting into trouble it’s our responsibility to reign them in.
on May 11th, 2008 at 8:34 pmI thought this book was alright but there it left me somewhat confused and unsatisfied at the end. This is the third book I have read of Jodi’s and by far my favorite is the pact. i reccommend it to anyone and everyone its amazing!
on May 20th, 2008 at 9:36 pmQuincy - I’ve heard a lot of good things about The Pact. I hope to read it this year.
on May 21st, 2008 at 12:54 pmI love all her books. MY SISTER’S KEEPER IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!!!! Can’t wait until the movie is released in 2009. I believe Cameron Diaz is starring in it. All her books give you alot to think about.
on June 1st, 2008 at 5:09 pmTina - I didn’t realize they were making a movie of My Sister’s Keeper. I’ll be keeping my eye out for the trailer.
on June 4th, 2008 at 12:11 amLifetime made a movie of Jodi Picoult’s book The Tenth Circle. The movie stars Kelly Preston (Jerry Maguire, What A Girl Wants), Ron Eldard (House of Sand and Fog) and Brittany Robertson (Dan In Real Life). See it on Saturday, June 28th at 9PM ET/PT:
For more information about the movie (cast, photos, movie trailers, etc.), please click the link below:
on June 20th, 2008 at 9:30 amhttp://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/movies/tenth-circle
Carrie - Hmm . . . I don’t have cable. I guess I’m to busy reading. I’ll have to catch it some other way.
on June 21st, 2008 at 9:05 ami just finished reading the tenth circle, and it seemedto consume me the last three days…the ending was kinda expected, yet the book wasn’t a let down. i was so excited to see that they have made the book into a film…yet slightly disappointed with the fact that many of the characters used in the film aren’t as they were depicted in the book. firstly being that trixie’s hair is RED and the actress in the film has strawberry blonde hair…not to mention that the whole image of jason was killed by using a boy with blonde hair…i’m slightly saddened by this…i wish for oncepeople would make a film that truly captures the author’s scope of the story, and not a person who didn’t create the idea in the first place…it’s kind of like watching ella enchanted and realising the film producers totally killed the entire story making it the same as any other fairytale, or being bored to death by the film version of girl with a pearl earring, knowing deep in your heart that the story has so much more potential…i wish for once, somebody would show the true story for once, and not make it the same as every other “deep” film out there!
on June 27th, 2008 at 9:13 amI am watching the Tenth Circle now on ifetime. I am not impressed. This why I read instead of watching TV. The book was 100% better and there were no commercials!
on June 30th, 2008 at 8:11 pmMy favorite Picoult book is 19 Minutes. But, I also loved Change of Heart. I read it in one afternoon! Couldn’t put it down.