By My sister-in-law gave me Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult last Summer (at my ‘retirement’ party), after she read it in her book club. It has taken me this long to finish it…not because it it a bad book. I just got distracted by life. Plus I didn’t totally retire. I tried to read it while lounging by the pool in Charleston SC. Unfortunately, while lounging the book got soaked and now all the pages are water damaged. Sorta looks like this.
It did eventually dry out…but I won’t be returning it to her (if she really wants it back, I’ll have to buy a new one!)
Here’s a lovely synopsis from Good Reads:
The story follows a murder on an Amish farm. An eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, Amish girl is accused of murdering her new born baby and must face the court charged with first degree murder. The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core.
The book was published in 2000 – a time when internet and cell phones were not part of each and every waking moment. There is a big difference between the Plain (Amish) way of life and the English (American) way of life. The book does a good job of pointing out the similarities while acknowledging the differences. The love of family, for example, is shared across both cultures (I suspect in every culture). It is funny to see how the ‘modern’ conveniences of the 2000 seem very antiquated to today’s world. A lot can change in 20 years. I wonder how what 2044 will look like? Will we laugh at YouTube videos, TikTok and Instagram posts as being medieval?
Back to the book…I really enjoyed reading about the Amish way of life. There’s an interview with the author at the end of the book in which she discusses her research. She ended up staying with an Amish family! Following the interview with the author is a section that includes a 22 reading group questions and topics for discussion. I do recommend you read both of these additions, as it gives insight into the author and the book. Just ignore her shameless plug for her next book (which is/was Salem Falls.
I love digging in and finding out more: all the behind the scenes stuff. Jodi has a net worth of $10M. She’s a Princeton and Harvard grad. I’m trying to figure out where her money went…because she’s written 28 novels, many of which have been hugely successful. Not that $10M is anything to sneeze at, but I seriously thought she’d be worth more. To save you some googling: Here’s a list of her top books. The most popular book is My sister’s keeper, which was made into a tear jerker movie. I’m 90% sure I read that book…or maybe saw the movie…
Back to the book…again…I will not intentionally put any spoilers here. We know that a baby died within the first chapter. The questions are:
1) did he die of natural causes or not? and if not then 2) who murdered him?
There are other layers here. Our main character Ellie has ended a relationship and is dealing with those stirred up emotions. An old boyfriend enters the picture. At times it felt more soap opera like than fictional novel.
I won’t answer all 22 questions here, but I will share my thoughts on two that are religious-based and one that is not.
Question # 3 thoughts on how this book contends with spirituality in an increasingly secular world. The Amish are firm believers in their faith. The protagonist, Ellie, is not particularly religious at all. There isn’t a religious awakening in her, but there is a religious stirring. This is somewhat discussed in the interview with the author where she indicates she wants her children to have spirituality but she didn’t want to force the church on them. Fast forward to 2024 and you see that the world does feel more secular. I honestly thought that the pandemic would have drawn people to faith. It didn’t. As Christians, there are times that you feel very defensive about your religion. I try to defend where I can, if necessary. Mostly I try to present that Christianity is about the love of God and his son Jesus for mankind.
Question #11 thoughts on the epigraph now that you’ve read the book. For context the epigraph is included belwo. Prior to reading the book, I felt very cynical about this school verse and presumed the book was going to be critical of Christianity and the Amish. Now that I’ve read the book, I know that my presumption was wrong. The verse plants the seed about the simpleness of Katie’s faith and the Amish view on your relationship with God and Christ.
I must be a Christian child
Gentle, patient, meek and mild;
Must be honest, simple, true
In my words and action too…
Must remember, God can view
All I think, and all I do.
Question #21 – What kind of future do you see for Ellie and Coop? For Katie and Samuel? Jacob and his Plain heritage? Am I a cynic if I say I don’t see Ellie and Coop lasting? Here’s why. They share a passion for each other, sure. But the relationship is in its beginning stages and they’re throwing a baby in the mix. I don’t see it working out. Yes that makes me a little sad. I see Katie and Samuel growing old together and raising several children. It’s the Amish way. I believe that Jacob (who is Katie’s brother who left the Amish to pursue a college degree) will come around for family dinners. He will stay English, but both he and his father showed that they have forgiven each other.
There was one other question that I tickled my fancy. This book was primarily written from Ellie’s point of view. The question (#16) was about having Katie or Sarah relating her experiences to us in the first person. I think that would be phenomenal. I don’t think we have a good idea about Sarah (Katie’s mom) until the end of the book. I would love to know more about her.
If you’ve read this book (or any by the author), please share your thoughts.
I’m off to my next read! Of course, if you have a recommendation, let me know!