Jodi Picoult is a best-selling American author, who is best known for writing popular fiction. Despite accusations of writing chick-lit, Picoult has written numerous books that cover a wide range of controversial and moral issues.
Over the years, Picoult has written 28 novels, and collaborated with her daughter, Samantha van Leer, and her most recent novel is Mad Honey, which she wrote with Jennifer Finney Boylan.
As a #1 New York Times bestselling author, she has written a wide range of novels.
However, if you’ve read all of Jodi Picoult’s novels and can’t wait until the next one, we’ve got a few authors whose books you should check out for your next read (see also “Authors Like Nancy Thayer“).
If you enjoyed Jodi Picoult’s works, then you should consider reading the works of Kristin Hannah, Alice Sebold, and Kim Edwards. Here are a few of some of our favorite books of theirs that you should add to your shelf.
Books By Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult has written 28 novels, and has also written several issues of DC Comics’ Wonder Woman series. Many of her novels explore a wide range of moral issues, leading to some describing her as a controversial writer.
Many of her books are viewed as family sagas, as they focus on the relationships between families and how they often interconnect.
Her most famous work is My Sister’s Keeper, which was adapted into a feature film in 2009.
This novel focuses on the life of Anna Fitzgerald, who was born as a savior sister for her older sister who has leukemia, and explores the relationships between the family.
Likewise, her first bestseller, Nineteen Minutes focuses on the dynamics between two families who are directly impacted by a school shooting.
Some characters are incorporated in Picoult’s other books, for example, Peter Houghton, the protagonist of Nineteen Minutes is also mentioned in House Rules and Mad Honey.
Likewise, the detective investigating in Nineteen Minutes, Patrick Ducharme, also appears in Perfect Match.
In fact, the defense attorney, Jordan McAfee and his family, make regular appearances, having appeared in four novels, including The Pact and Salem Falls.
One of the defining themes of Jodi Picoult’s books are the relationships between each of the characters, and how these impact the rest of the story.
Many of her stories feature issues with the justice system, exploring the effects of school shootings, medical emancipation, and how families are impacted by these events.
Generally, Jodi Picoult goes out of her way to explore contemporary issues in a way that will make her audience think (If you liked this, check out Books Like A Little Life).
These can be seen in both Winter Garden and Firefly Lane, two of our recommendations. Much like Jodi Picoult, she tackles issues with a sense of humanity in her work.
Winter Garden is about two sisters who return home when their father falls ill. While there, they listen to their mother as she recites an old Russian fairy tale for her family as her husband’s final wish.
As she recites the tale, the girls learn more about their mother and about the life she led.
In Winter Garden, Meredith, Nina, and Anya have grown apart. Meredith has chosen to stay at home, while Nina is a photojournalist.
With the help of a bottle of vodka and a trip to Alaska, they realize that the stories their mother has recited to them are the stories of her family’s time in Leningrad.
If you enjoyed the conflicting relationships between mother and daughter in Harvesting the Heart and My Sister’s Keeper, then you should enjoy Winter Garden.
Pros
An intriguing drama that explores a family’s history while they grieve for a loved one.
Compelling relationships between mothers and daughters.
Cons
It does have a very slow-paced start, which may drag for some readers.
Kate Mularkey, an unpopular eighth-grader meets Tully Hart, the coolest girl in the world who moves across the street from her. The two become best friends, despite their different backgrounds.
Kate has a loving and embarrassing family, while Tully was abandoned by her mother at a young age. This inspires a drive to prove herself, while Kate wants to fall in love and enjoy an ordinary life.
Over thirty years, Kate and Tully’s friendship remains through the good times and the bad. We see Kate grow as a mother and Tully’s career flourish over three decades from the ‘70s to the 2000s.
This is a heart-wrenching story of love, friendship and the relationship between two women through the ages.
Fans of Jodi Picoult’s Wish You Were Here may enjoy the exploration of the role of women and their relationships with one another in Firefly Lane.
Susie Salmon was fourteen when she was murdered in 1973. Beginning with her death, The Lovely Bones tells the story of Susie watching her family from heaven, and witnessing the effect her death has had on her friends and family.
With rumors being spread about her disappearance, and the killer covering her tracks, Suzie watches everything while also coming to terms with her own death.
If you liked The Tenth Circle and Nineteen Minutes then you should enjoy The Lovely Bones. All of these elements involve a teenager with their lives gripped by tragedy (If you like stories with tragic themes, check out Books Like The Great Gatsby) .
Nineteen Minutes has the same focus on grief and loss, while The Tenth Circle is gripped by a father who wants to protect his daughter.
Pros
It was adapted into a film which was directed by Peter Jackson.
The opening of the novel is chilling, and leaves the audience reeling from what they’ve read.
Cons
The last section of the book is weaker than the beginning, with scenes that seem irrelevant and uncomfortable for readers.
Themes: Family, Grief, Death, Fathers and Daughters, Tragedy.
Kim Edwards
Kim Edwards is known for writing collections of short stories and her first novel, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter became a New York Times Best Seller, hitting the #1 spot for 20 weeks.
It won the Kentucky Literary Award and British Book Award, and was even Book of the Year in 2006. Her second novel, The Lake of Dreams was also a worldwide bestseller. Currently, she teaches writing at the University of Kentucky.
The year is 1964, and Dr. David Henry delivers his twin children during a blizzard. His son is born healthy, while his daughter is born with Down’s Syndrome.
Deciding to protect his wife, he tells his nurse to take his daughter to an institution and never reveal this secret. But the nurse, Caroline, decides to raise his child as her own.
Throughout this novel, we watch as the twins grow into themselves, and how their parents respond to them.
If you liked Handle with Care or House Rules then you may want to read this take on a family who have struggled to cope with a family member with a disability.
Pros
An emotional read that focuses on the relationships between parents and their children.
It is written with a good use of metaphors and imagery that helps the reader empathize with the characters.
Cons
It does occasionally fall onto stereotypes and clichés.
Themes: Family, Disability, Mother and Child, Love, Secrets.
Final Thoughts
Jodi Picoult is a bestselling author who has written over 28 books, with some of her films being adapted for the screen (see also “Authors Like Penny Vincenzi“). She is known for tackling controversial issues, and has thus become quite a controversial writer over the years.
According to Goodreads, My Sister’s Keeper is Jodi Picoult’s biggest bestseller. It tells the story of two sisters, one with leukemia, and the other conceived as a savior sister.
What Types Of Books Does Jodi Picoult Write?
Jodi Picoult writes for many different genres, so it’s hard to pin her down. She’s known for literary fiction, legal thrillers, psychological portraits, romances, and also ghost stories.
Ayo-ige Motunrayo is an avid reader and a prolific writer. She is also a registered nurse. She has written a plethora of short stories and poems, and her poetry and stories have been featured on RT Book Reviews, Pen on Fire, and Commune Writers. She is also the author of an e-book, Nothing puzzles God, and she is currently writing her debut novel.
She is the only female of 4 children, and she is keen on being a voice for the voiceless in America and beyond, employing her tool as a young Nurse and burgeoning writer. She loves reading, because to her, books are a passage to an idyllic reality and foster hope for the benign and beautiful.
