Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
Name: Yasmin Colonetti
Year 12
Book: Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
The book Lone Wolf written by Jodi Picoult is a novel which talks about Luke (the father), Cara (the daughter), Georgie (the mother), Joe (the step-father) and Edward (the son). The novel starts with Cara going to live with Luke, but he is not the “normal” father that a girl has; he is an expert about wolves and most of the time he passes is with them. Everything was going fine until a motor vehicle accident happened. Luke went to get Cara from a party and when they were getting back a deer appeared on the street so they tried to not hit it and then the car went on a tree, Cara saved Luke’s life and thanks to her he did not died, nevertheless he is in coma and she got a severe shoulder fracture. After the Georgie was told, she went as fast as possible to meet Cara. Thereafter Cara started to blame herself about her father being in coma. Then it goes to a conflict because Cara wants to her dad be alive, therefore Edward want to let his father die, with that Geogie does not know how to react. The doctors always said that it would be hard to him survive, but if he does, he would have to live with a lot of sequels. So the book continues with that drama until they decided to pull the plug off.
My opinion of the book is that it passes two thoughts that everyone should have. And thoughts are: take risks and live one day like is your last. About taking risks, we are used to be in a comfort zone and when a certain situation happens which try to make us get out of this zone we try the hardest way to pass throw it with not being out of it. Most of the times, if we just accept that we have to experience new things and even if hurts we will always have learning, we would see that the big storm was nothing more than a passing rain. Being able to take risks, will make us live everyday like it was the last of our lives because nothing and no one could stop us from being happy and doing what makes us happy. I think that if the society put their priorities in front of everything the life would have a prettier meaning. With both thoughts the book shows with Luke in coma and after dead, that does not matter having everything better than the other if in the end you will always be like the other, just bones, just past, nothing you bought or had to show the other that you could have more than him will be taken to heaven. So, for me the book represented the feeling of being adventure, no fear of the unknown is what, in the end, the people around you will remember about you and that will be your legacy to the world. The last phrase of the book showed exactly what Jodi Picoult wanted to pass, and was the explanation for why Luke has passed most of his life with wolves, Luke said: “…Which is why, when you’re a wolf, you live each day like it’s the only one you have.”
Other experience that the book passes is that in the end the family is everything that really matters. The first example that I can think about is after Cara had the accident, the moment the nurse calls Georgie to say about her daughter accident; when the nurse starts to say what happened to Cara is written “…I am already out of bed, trying to find my jeans in the dark. I’m on my way, I say…” this phrase was said by Georgie and shows that no matter how far were them, the family will always find a way to help and take care of you. And it reminds me of other example when Georgie were talking with Edward, she said: “…Because as horrible as this has been, I keep thinking it’s the first step in chain of events that’s put this family back together…” which shows that family tent always see the good side to help those who cannot see. The society should teach to the kids to give more value to family and that family is not only the blood ones, but the heart family either. Being applied this thought; I think that people would treat the others with more respect and affection. The phrase that most chocked me was one of the last sentences of the book, when Luke said, told: “…Death isn’t an individual choice. It all comes back to what the family needs…” this caught me so much, because you see that a person could die to his family just because that’s what his family needs, its taking the others priorities to be yours priorities. And that is what being family is, make the other be happy before you be.