Wish You Were Here

 

Wish You Were Here: A Novel by Jodi Picoult. New York: Ballantine Books, 2021. 366 pages. ***** Publication November 30, 2021.

Diana O’Toole is right on track in her life. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the art auction world.  She’s not engaged yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galapagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. 

But then Covid begins to appear in the city. On the night before their trip, Finn breaks the news that he can't go. He must stay behind to work in the hospital. Their trip is nonrefundable, so Finn convinces Diana to go without him.

Diana is in shock when she gets there, and the island is evacuating. She decides to continue anyway and discovers that her luggage is lost, the hotel is closed, and the WIFI doesn't work. The island is under quarantine until the borders open again. She makes friends with a family on the island and begins to question her life's plan.

I read this book in one day. This is my first Covid Pandemic story, and it is well-written. Picoult's description of Finn's work in the hospital and the toll the pandemic took on the doctors and nurses was heart-wrenching. Communication between Diana and Finn is inconsistent and sporadic. Neither one can understand and empathize with the other's experience. Picoult's books force me to look inward, what would I do in a similar situation? There are so many people who probably have similar stories and experiences in the last year.  In her last two books, she focuses on life's choices and a "what if?" experience. I highly recommend Wish You Were Here  and I am already looking forward to her next one.

I received an ecopy for a review. 

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-seven novels, including The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, The Storyteller, Lone Wolf, Sing You Home, House Rules, Handle with Care, Change of Heart, and My Sister's Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. For more information click here

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