The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

Title: The Storyteller

Author: Jodi Picoult

Release Date: February 26, 2013

Length: 461 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

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**** My Review****

Every single person hides a secret or two. We keep something deep inside so others can’t see it. Some truths are never revealed and remain forever hidden in the darkest parts of one’s heart.

Unfortunately, Sage Singer cannot have that luxury. Her secret, her guilt is written across her face, a hideous scar that she allows to control her life. A scar that limits her contact with people. Human curiosity scares her. And the fear of falling out is getting bigger.

Maybe that’s why the night shift is her refuge. A peaceful place, where her peace is safe.
But even there some things are inevitable, some encounters cannot be avoided. Some stories must be told.

In the bakery, she meets Joseph Weber. He is a man who is already at the end of his life, but something still keeps him alive. As she gets to know him better, Joseph tells Sage that he wants a huge favor from her. A favor that gives him the opportunity to tell his story.

And as if that were not enough, through the pages we get to know Sage’s story, her struggle with forgiveness, with finding her place under the sun.

How will these stories come together?

So, on the one hand, we learn the story of the young German, we see the horrors he did during the war, and on the other hand, we have the story of Minka, Sage’s grandmother, the young Jewish woman and the horrors she suffered during the war in various concentration camps.

It must be admitted that those authors who manage to create such a complex and rich story are really rare. And even rarer are those who create several fictional worlds combined in one expertly crafted story that additionally contains a really ‘Big Issue’.

With an incredibly articulate writing style and well-crafted scenes, Jodi takes us through Sage’s story, which is somehow mirrored in the story of her grandma. She offers us a different insight into the Holocaust.

And the unique opportunity that encourages us to think from different perspectives. We can hear the side of the aggressor, the young German soldier, and the side of the victim, Sage’s grandma. And memories from WWII that are so hard to forget.

Furthermore, the characters are so complete and layered. As you slowly turn the pages and get to know their story, you realize that every emotion touches you. Your heart slowly begins to bleed, images change before your eyes, and yet you do not manage to put the book down.

But I have to be honest, at first, I didn’t like Sage’s character at all, yet I must acknowledge her development, which was more than obvious. It is a feature that Jodi Picoult has perfected with her characters. At the very end, I somehow managed to both understand her and be amazed by her strength.

Undoubtedly, The Storyteller is a great story. I have to admit it kept me awake, and even after finishing the last lines. I still had horrible images running through my head. There are detailed descriptions of the camps and the torments and fears the Jews went through at that time.

Additionally, I want to mention that The Storyteller contains a refreshing note and does not follow the pattern we are used to in Picoult’s previous works. It must be really difficult to create a story about such a sensitive period of humanity, to preserve the facts, and to create a story that is interesting to the readers.

So, in the end, I will say that Jodi Picoult did a wonderful job with this book and The Storyteller is the best thing I’ve read by this author.