You are not signed in. Sign in.

List Books: Buy books on ListBooks.org

House Rules »

Book cover image of House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Authors: Jodi Picoult
ISBN-13: 9780743296441, ISBN-10: 0743296443
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Date Published: November 2010
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Find Best Prices for This Book »

Author Biography: Jodi Picoult

Known for expertly blending provocative themes with family conflicts and difficult moral choices, Jodi Picoult keeps her readers riveted with heartfelt yet impeccably researched novels, like the richly suspenseful Second Glance and the poignant and controversial family drama My Sister's Keeper.

Book Synopsis

When your son can’t look you in the eye . . . does that mean he’s guilty?

Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject—forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he’s always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he’s usually right.

But when Jacob’s small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob’s behaviors are hallmark Asperger’s, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are directly in the spotlight. For Jacob’s mother, Emma, it’s a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it’s another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob.

And over this small family, the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?

The Washington Post - Maureen Corrigan

Throughout the long unfolding of House Rules, Picoult keeps so many storyline streamers whirling in the air that it would be easy just to praise her technical mastery. But though the multiple plots and narrators are, indeed, adroitly managed, what most readers will cherish is the character of Jacob Hunt, an 18-year-old high school student with Asperger's syndrome…Picoult's depiction of Jacob and his family is complex, compassionate and smart…But, again, it's Jacob who will linger with readers. Desperate to connect with other people and yet hampered in his ability to do so, he is painfully glassed off from the world of his peers, as well as from most adults. Picoult's superb novel makes us inhabit Jacob's solitude and abide his yearning.

Table of Contents

Subjects


 

 

« Previous Book Saving the World
Next Book » Room