SPOILERS BELOW!!
Songs of the Humpback Whale is Picoults first ever novel, as you I've been on a Picoult run in the last few months so i was excited to read the novel where it all began. Unfortunately, it had a lot of problems and you can see its the raw work of an early writer. Songs differs from Picoults usual formula of crime/investigation/court case, instead it follows five different perspectives with a jumbled timeline leaving you guessing the point at which you are at.
Protagonist Jane was abused and beaten by her father as a young child, taking the brunt of his cruelty to protect younger brother Joley. she escaped by marrying Oliver very young and conceiving Rebecca, their only daughter. However Oliver is more interested in his work charting humpback whales and Jane and Rebecca are left feeling ostricised. From this they form a strong bond that is more than just mother/daughter. Janes dependency and honesty with Rebecca is often inappropriate and its clear to see the damage that has scarred Rebecca mentally as a result. Jane leaves Oliver after he slaps her once, when Rebecca is five, however when he demands Rebecca back Jane puts their daughter on a plane alone and it crashes, Rebecca is one of a few survivors, Jane rejoins Oliver and they try and move on. When Oliver informs them he will miss Rebecca's fifteenth birthday for work, Jane starts a fight, throwing Olivers research down the stairs he snaps and grabs her wrists, hard, in retaliation she pulls away and slaps him and after he comments that she is becoming her father she races out and leaves. Rebecca is already waiting for her mother in the car, Jane turns to her brother Joley who guides her to him, his makes the long journey more bearable by leaving her letters in various towns and sending her to landmarks and attractions. The journey shows that Jane lacks maturity in her role as a mother, they struggle with money, have to eat and run on a diner, steal £600 pound they find in a car they buy and regularly sleep in their car despite the heat. Meanwhile Oliver has decided to chase his wife down, for the first time in his life, actively fighting for his family. When Jane arrives at Joleys and meets his boss Sam things get complicated, Rebecca falls in love with an older man and their worlds implode on them.
Jane is difficult to like, shes immature, weak though Joley protests she isn't and she seems oblivious to the harm she is doing to her daughter. Oliver is a bumbling idiot who actively knew he was pushing them away and allowed it to happen. Joleys feelings for his sister border if not cross into incestual. Hadley, whom Rebecca falls for, also has some underlying issues, Rebecca is barely fifteen and he ten years older when he decides hes in love with her and his boss and friend Sam, overlooks this as if its nothing.
Its beautifully written at times, but the jumpy timeline can be frustrating and a key plot point is revealed very early. Several chapters repeat the same sequences of events from different perspectives all at once which i found boring at times. The ending is infuriating, having finally freed herself and realizing she doesn't love her husband Jane still returns with him. Seemingly unconcerned with the death and chaos shes left behind. Joleys chapters are uncomfortable to read, clearly his feelings for his sister require the help of a psychiatrist. I am pleased that Picoult took her work in a different direction. For me the novel was a 2.5. It was okay, i was intrigued to find my way to the end and the characters
didn't put me off reading but i had major issues with it and i find her later work to be far more developed and enjoyable.
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