Jodi Picoult Books Reading Group. discussion

Summary:
Sage Singer, who befriends an old man who's particularly beloved in her community. Josef Weber is everyone favorite retired teacher and Little League coach and they strike up a friendship at the bakery where Sage works. One day he asks Sage for a favor: to kill him. Shocked, Sage refuses…and then he confesses his darkest secret - he deserves to die, because he was a Nazi SS guard. Complicating the matter? Sage's grandmother is a Holocaust survivor.

What do you do when evil lives next door? Can someone who's committed a truly heinous act ever atone for it with subsequent good behavior? Should you offer forgiveness to someone if you aren't the party who was wronged? And most of all - if Sage even considers his request - is it murder, or justice?

Let the discussion begin. Be Prepared for spoilers.

I am really excited for this book! Going to go to Barnes&Noble to pick it up today! also looking forward to the discussion! Jodi Picoult is my fav author!

Just got my copy from my local library.

Just started in on my Nook.

I am currently waiting for UPS to deliver my pre-ordered copy. Can't wait!

Just bought mine today for my Kindle! Can't wait to start!

I finished this book today. It was definitely one of my favorites from J. Picoult.

I was literally RAPT by Part II of the book. I could not put it down.
I thought the twist ending was bearable (the endings are always where Picoult totally screws the whole book for me).
I thought there was only one annoying relationship in the book.

Overall, I highly recommend it. The Holocaust description was tough to read but SO compelling. I am ashamed to say I didn't know many of these details of the horrific actions happening at that time. The book is worth reading for that part alone.

oh my this book is harrowing....I am very nearly finished reading it and its literally unputdownable :-) ..my favourite by JP by a large margin

what an ending...didn't see that coming...I wish there wasn't a twist I would feel better about the end...

i hope my predictions about this book dont come true...

Spoilers...



A part of me feels so bad for Joesf... Im up to page 180... I wonder if besides him wanting to die, there isn't another selfish purpose for him wanting to be given forgiveness...
I have a feeling Sage and Leo hook up at the end

I just finished it. Wow. I'll try not to spoil anything, but wow. Even though I have been reading her books for a few years, and have come to expect something unexpected, she still manages to shock me. Loved it.

i cant wait to finish it now!! I am looking forward to the twist

I will be getting this book at the library Wednesday morning and I will be starting it right there and then. I will look forward to discussing the book with you all.

I actually figured out the spoiler fairly early--I still really enjoyed the book. I thought her writing of the Holocaust seemed realistic. I didn't really understand the relationship between the sisters--perhaps due to the mom's death both Sage and her sisters let too much time lapse to develop a close bond? Do you think someone could hide a secret for all those years?

I just finished the book last night. It was phenomenal...and although I figured out the twist shortly before the end, there were still some surprises along the way (for me at least) that had me gasp in shock, and some poignant one liners that made me smile. Very intense and very realistic...cannot wait to hear what everyone else has to say!

I read The Storyteller because my daughter suggested it. I am looking for a discussion group, but so far it seems everyone only wants to rave about the book. I really don't want to spoil it for anyone (so look away now if you haven't read the book) but I am hoping someone can explain to me why Josef 'became' his brother, how people feel about what Sage did and how they think it will affect her relationship with Leo. Geez - I hope I didn't give anything away.....but I am really looking for answers.

I just finished the book yesterday and it only took me 2 days to read - I'm not sure why he became his brother, but I agree with what sage did. it made sense as an end because of everything Mary and others told her about forgiveness - she didn't do it for him , she did it for herself because the Josef she knew was an old man who seemed to be sorry for the things he had done. and I think him turning out to be who he was justified it even more ., he never wanted to be one of them . I don't think it will affect her relationship with Leo because he doesn't need to find out what she did ,..
House Rules will always be my favorite book of hers but I also found this book to be incredibly engaging and I really enjoyed it

I like Jodi Picoult I just one book by her

Josef became his brother so that he could share all of the horrible things he did and maybe then she would him. Also I think he didn't want her to know he was still in search of the end of the story the grandmother wrote.
I wonder if he followed the grandmother to this small town in hopes of getting the rest of the story and maybe forgiveness from grandmother.

I think he became his brother just so she would hate him and help him die. He wasn't ever a bad person. Even as a child when the war was beginning he had Jewish friends. I think his story might have been one of many who at the time either had to choose to fight in the nazi army or be punished for going against it. Although I felt him be as compassionate as he could have been towards sages grandma in the concentration camp. I'm sure he had to live with guilt for the rest of his life and probably did try to kill himself may times but wasn't successful. He even testified against his brother for shooting the girl is the office.

I think Andrea is right. Josef became his brother to help Sage hate him. I think he thought she would know more about her family. It is a shame that he didn't just ask for the ending of the story if that was what he wanted but that was too simple. It could be too that he thought he was as bad as his brother... but to me that doesn't work. I think it was his way of getting Sage to do what he wants....

Quick Question: Do you think it is possible that he wanted Sage to kill him to atone for her grandmother's treatment by him? Or do you think it was a general - it was horrible what I did and I can't live with it?

Linda... I think secrets can be held a long long time.. in fact Sage's grandmother held her secrets until the end of her life and I think if she hadn't been prodded would have kept the secrets of the death camps to herself..

Anna... I think that the guilt Sage felt over killing her mother and the fact that she was very different in personality and traits from her sisters did make a huge wedge between them. Guilt is very very powerful and destructive.

My question is do people think that in the long run, Sage's action will take a toll on her relationship with Leo?

I also really enjoyed this novel. I found it interesting that she described the death marches - so did Chris Bojahalien in his book The Skeletons at the Feast. I had never heard of them before...

This is exactly what I wanted to see people discussing this awesome book. I haven't had time to sit down at the computer since I finished the book last week so I really enjoyed going through and reading everybody's comments.

**Spoilers ahead**
Marti ... I think Sage was very hurt after learning the Josef connected to her grandmother although not the way we thought he was through most of the book. Although Sage was angry at Josef I don't think she did what she did for evil purposes. I do think it was general, but still a personal decision for her because of her grandmother. Was what she did right? I don't know, but she made her choice.

I think Sage's action will make her and Leo relationship more difficult, but I still do believe they have a possibility of a future together.


Who does everybody think the real main character of this novel?
Did you think baking was a big part of this novel or would it have really mattered if Sage had a different career?


I personally didn't figure out the twist and I really liked the twist although it was confusing.

I actually think Sage killed josef as a friend. She hated seeing him struggle, even though he at one point in his life was a monster, he was her friend. Shw struggled all along with him being that monster he was desribing, it seems she may have figured out or had a clue that he was the brother.

I think baking was a big part of the book because it tied Sage to her past and her family history.
I was a bit confused through the book when the grandmothers fiction story was embedded in the chapters. I really liked, however the way in tied in towards the end.

I also think the baking of the bread was an integral part of the story. Not only did it tie the women together within the family, but it also helped tie the "story" with the reality in the grandmother's early years. I also think the bread wasn't just nourishment for the body, but also nourishment for the soul...

I think the main characters are Sage and Josef with strong supporting characters of Leo and Sage's grandmother... although in thoughts perhaps the main character of the story was something harder to define like war - or punishment...

Marti wrote: "I also think the baking of the bread was an integral part of the story. Not only did it tie the women together within the family, but it also helped tie the "story" with the reality in the grandmot..."

In my opinion Minka was the true main character because her story took up most of the book and she was the reason Sage made the decision she did at the end.

I think that the brother became Josef to take on the sins of both of them. He in some way thought that he was the lesser of two evils. When he let Josef die, in his mind he was ridding the world of this evil and fighting with his own will to live. The brother was brutal but with a conscience. It did not say if he actually killed anyone in the camp or otherwise. He must have thought that coming to America and living a good life would help to erase the brutality of their sins to humanity. I think in the end that what they did was too much to live with. He was at the end of his life and he must have wanted to see how it felt to have his life end like so many of the Jewish people in the camps. He was kind of putting his own end to Minka's story of Ania.
The bread bkaing was part of Sage's heritage and was a job in the story that would help her to hide from the world. Bakers really do work all hours of the night and morning. It shows how we can show love in small ways such as baking a special treat, that turns out to be much bigger than we imagine.Food is a big part of our nationality and family life. It is a way to give to our traditions and the love and memories that we carry on.
I can understand Sage's diema about killing Josef. Can we really redeem ourselves if we have done horrible things? Where do you draw the line on what is redeemable? Is killing one or killing millions the same? Do we sympathize because he is a frail old man? I do not agree with Sage ending Josef's life. You have to have some bad in you to kill someone. It was not a mercy killing because Josef was not terminally sick and dying and would have died in time as old age takes him. Sage will have to live out her life with the burden of what she did and it will change her and affect her relationship with Leo in the long run. We are left now with our feelings about Sage whether we think she was right or wrong. Did she avenge her grandmother by killing Josef or just justify her own anger at him? I personally am disappointed and disgusted at her for her actions. I think that Josef needed to be brought to justice whether he was the brother or not.
I struggle with the forgiveness part. I don't want to hate people and I know that if someone did something awful to one of my family members, that forgiveness would be hard for me. I have learned to let go of the anger at people who have hurt me and mine but I don't know if I have forgave in doing that.
The book didn't seem to have a main character. They all played a part in the story. Even though he was not focused on in the story, I think Hitler and the Halocaust was the main character in the story.

Rachael wrote: "This is exactly what I wanted to see people discussing this awesome book. I haven't had time to sit down at the computer since I finished the book last week so I really enjoyed going through and re..."

Why was the end confusing for you?

Jenn wrote: "I actually think Sage killed josef as a friend. She hated seeing him struggle, even though he at one point in his life was a monster, he was her friend. Shw struggled all along with him being that ..."

Well the grandmother had to finish the story. It actually helped her in some way to survive and have some small comforts that the brother offered her. We wonder how the story changed because of the conditions she lived in and the horror she saw. How much of that contributed to the story and would it have been different had her life continued on in the normal way of things? I wondered how she could continue on with a tragic,graphic love story with what she was going through?

Alex wrote: "I just finished the book yesterday and it only took me 2 days to read - I'm not sure why he became his brother, but I agree with what sage did. it made sense as an end because of everything Mary an..."

House Rules was my favorite too!

What books better

Lori- the ending just happened so quickly that it was truly slicking for me. I reread it and understood the ending fully.

I am confused about the ending. How Josef- Hanz- got a hold of the pictures and the journal? I thought Minka gave the journal to the officer during the hike in order to escape?

Also, I do not agree with Sage killing him, and I hate that she now has to lie to Leo about it. She killed the wrong man... so now how is she any better than them?

This ending left me confused and a little let down. If anyone has answers to my questions I would love to hear them.

Michelle wrote: "I am confused about the ending. How Josef- Hanz- got a hold of the pictures and the journal? I thought Minka gave the journal to the officer during the hike in order to escape?

Also, I do not agre..."

I was slightly disappointed with this novel. I liked the three stories running concurrently but it seemed none of them were completely fleshed out.

Franz had the pictures because he confiscated them before he had Minka work as his secretary. Minka did give the journal to the officer but the pictures were not with it.

Regarding Sage--I too was disappointed with her choice, but I also understood it. I had figured out Josef was the "good brother" about halfway through. By killing him Sage gave him what he wanted--and started her own neverending story. She will never be able to tell Leo and so now she too carries a secret she cannot share. I was disappointed that most of the book was spent describing the grandmother's journey instead of emphasizing the friendship that developed between Josef and Sage, and what his admission cost her. I loved the grandmother's story about the vampire, though.

Did anyone else draw parallels between all three stories and "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale? Not the Disney version--the original fairy tale. Each story in The Storyteller contained a "Beauty" and a "Beast" but it wasn't always clear who held each role. Was Franz the beast, or was that his brother, and was beauty Minka or her best friend--the delicate ballerina? Even the story Minka created does not have a definitive villain. Is it the vampire, his brother, or the townsfolk? And finally, is Sage the beauty or the beast at the end of her story? I'd really like to know what everyone else thinks.

Hi, people from 8 years ago!

Spoilers below.

Just read it. I figured out the twist halfway through too (proud), shortly after the hand tremor was talked about - if that was the identifier, that would have been too obvious.

Loved the interplay between the two stories of monster brothers.

I think Franz pretended to be his brother because he felt responsible for his sins. He saw it as his own guilt too: partly because he didn't stop Reiner, partly because he was his brother.

Something unsatisfying: it was never explained how Franz ended up as an SS officer. That jump made no sense.

Terrible choice Sage made at the end. It wasn't compassionate to help him end his life. In fact, killing him and also letting him know he wasn't forgiven - I can't think of anything crueller. I think a richer ending would involve confronting, revealing, forgiving, and learning how evil can end and be followed by forgiveness and life. Sage could struggle but manage to forgive Josef, and then because she could do that, manage to forgive herself for her mother.

Terrible also that she didn't tell Leo. This will be terrible for her relationship, and this is why. Sage had seconds before Leo walked into the room - thus she had not processed or dealt with the revelation (or her own actions the previous day, for that matter). She has now lied to him, so if she tells him, they will have to work through the deception. Possibly they could. But it doesn't sound like she will tell him. Thus if she deals with it at all it will be by herself. She will be starting a major relationship while also intentionally embarking on deception about one of the messiest ball of emotions, doubts, guilt, and angst that she will ever deal with. Thus will drive them apart.
The alternative is that she never deals with it at all: also terrible.
And Sage will not find healing in hiding and moving on like her grandmother did: she has just begun to find healing in openness with Leo, and hiding won't be enough any more.

The storyteller for me was Josef. He was "telling stories" the whole way through.

I agree with someone above that the multiple storylines should each have been fuller. Perhaps with a more conventional structure they would have been able to be fleshed out properly each.

Jodi Picoult is a master though.

An early twist I loved was finding out that the Ania sections were Minka's writing. That gave a thrill. My mind was background-processing a bit of wonder at how the storylines kept echoing each other. It was lovely when it turned out that it wasn't just a literary technique, but there was a reason why.

Minka's story was heartrending. The ghetto section was the saddest for me - that tragic transition between normality and horror.

Well, good night and Merry Christmas :)