If you look down the list of themes, you're probably overcome with dread about now. They're all pretty painful and depressing: Suffering. Mortality. Isolation. Family. (Well, depending on what kind of family you have.) It's a relief to get to love, isn't it? Picoult isn't a total masochist, and in My Sister's Keeper, she throws us a bone in the form of a love story between Campbell and Julia, along with a lot rumination about the nature of familial love as well. We're glad the heart of this story isn't just another organ that needs to be transplanted.
Questions About Love
- Does Campbell really love Julia? Does Julia really love Campbell? Why? How can you tell?
- Why do Brian and Sara fall out of love? What brings them back together? Are they the same again?
- Does Sara love Anna as a daughter, or as an organ donor? Use the text to support your claim.
- Does Brian love Anna differently than Sara does? Get specific, yo.
- Do you agree with Julia that "You don't love someone because they're perfect. […]You love them in spite of the fact that they're not" (9.7.18)?