Handle With Care

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS!!!!

I am currently reading a book by Jodi Picoult called Handle With Care. In the book there is a Family-the O'Keefee family-that must deal with a daughter who they so much wanted to have having OI-Osteogensis Imperfecta, a disease that makes the bones very brittle and very breakable. This disease is something that clearly is driving the O'Keefee family nuts. Driving them apart, and making them do things they're not sure is right since this disease is very expensive to deal with, and they have to very careful around Willow-the daughter or she could break her bones a lot.

Charlotte-the mother-is clearly someone who is willing to do anything for Willow. For months, she's been wanting to have a baby,and during those months she was willing to do anything to get pregnant. She had her best friend-Piper Reece-help her get pregnant. (Piper's an obstetrician.) It took a while, but after some time, Charlotte got pregnant! But there was something wrong, something that would affect Charlotte's baby's life. Osteogensis Imperfecta. But, even though that made Charlotte sad and worried, she still wanted to have the baby. (She was gonna keep the baby no matter what!) And she did. Willow came into the world with seven breaks and about 4 healing ones. (Oh that must have been nice...) From there, Charlotte had promised herself that she would be extra careful to keep Willow safe. She would even lose everything else for Willow. Anything to keep her baby safe. But. There were some...complications with that, of course. After meeting Marian Gates-A lawyer-Charlotte began to have some...questions. Like. What would happen to Willow if I can't support her casts, her medical bills, or anything anymore? Sean-the father-would be able to support somewhat, he had a good job, but what if it wasn't enough? If we can't take care of her...would Willow be better off...dead? Could she have a better life if she had never been born? Charlotte loved Willow, no one could doubt that. (For crying out loud, she was like, basically ignoring her family for this!) Did she love her so much was she willing to give her up-despite how much she wanted her before?

But. If Charlotte wants the answers to these questions, she needs to sue someone. That someone being the doctor who helped her...that someone being Piper. How would Charlotte be able to do it? How could she stand up in court and say to the judge she would rather see Willow dead and be able to sue her best friend who helped her meet Sean and all that?  How is she gonna be able to lie all that? Is it really worth the $64,000 that will clearly help Willow in the future? Was she really gonna lose the love and respect of her family and friend-especially Sean and Piper-worth it? Worth saving Willow from poor medical care?

Clearly the whole lawsuit is driving Charlotte nuts. She'd give anything to her daughter, she'd do anything, but is anything meaning she loses everything too? What exactly is Charlotte going to limit anything too? And if so, what is she limited it to?