Reading "My Sister's Keeper" Start - Pg 130

Allow me to preface: I'm not the most avid reader, as much as I hate to admit it. In a way, it's a blessing; every new book I pick up becomes an amazing experience in some way; an emotional trip, a thriller, a grand adventure. Let it be known that while this does color my ability to critique a story or understand what makes a "good" story, it gives me a greater appreciation for the story itself, being unfamiliar with the kinds tropes and turns a story like My Sister's Keeper would normally undertake.

My Sister's Keeper follows the Fitzgeralds, a family unfortunate enough to have its elder daughter, Kate, diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. The younger daughter, Anna, is the primary focus of the story, being born specifically for the purpose of giving her sister appropriately matched blood and bone marrow to keep her alive. Anna has had this decision made for her for years, and this becomes critical as it is revealed that her sister's kidney is failing, and kidney transplant is the next thing she will be forced to endure.

Already I am having a hard time going through it. The subject hits close to home, and brings questions to my mind I wouldn't want to answer. Given the choice, would I be willing to go through painful transplants, and perhaps even life-threatening surgery to save a loved one? Having lost a loved one to cancer in recent years, the question remains. I wasn't given the choice, but a nagging voice returns now and then to dwell on "what ifs". In Anna's case, she believes her life shouldn't be jeopardized even for her dying sister.

We find out through flashbacks small parts of the Fitzgeralds' past. Among them, the memories of the mother (Sara) and father (Brian) when they first learned of Kate's disease. Initially I had mislabeled Sara as an uncaring and poor parent, seemingly ignoring Anna and her delinquent son Jesse, but after these scenes, I couldn't help but find a very deep empathy for her. Anna puts it well herself:

"My mother could be beautiful, if she were parachuted into someone else's life." Pg 10

To find fault in her would be to find fault in the actions of one given impossibility and told to make the possibility. While she appears not to care for any of her children aside from Kate, there are small hints in her dialogue and body language that suggest not apathy, but inability. She is not the parent to be dealing with her situation. She is not the person to be dealing with her situation. She is an emotionally weak and confused person who wants only to save her dying child. She is not a terrible parent. That is something I cannot accuse her of, lest I face the same fate and need to make her decisions.

Could you make those decisions?

Ultimately...

Choosing to die is one thing. Choosing not to give a person a chance for one's own safety is another. Choosing not to save one's sister for one's own safety is different altogether. Anna is well aware of that, and her mother sees as well. Upon discovering that Anna wishes to sue for her body, a single slap is all her mother gave:

"Just so you know: shame is five-fingered." Pg 54

Further progression through this book will take some amount of effort, especially now that I have a grasp of what lies ahead.