''Change of Heart'' is the sixteenth novel by American author
Jodi Picoult
Jodi Lynn Picoult () is an American writer. Picoult has published 28 novels, accompanying short stories, and has also written several issues of Wonder Woman. Approximately 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide, translated into 34 ...
, published in 2008. The novel explores themes of loss, redemption, religion and spirituality, and punishment.
Plot summary
Prologue
A man, Jack, is killed by an impaired driver, leaving his wife, June, and his daughter, Elizabeth behind. At the scene of the accident, June meets Kurt Nealon, a police officer, who becomes a close friend and later June's husband. A number of years later, June is pregnant and Kurt plans to create an addition onto their home. A young man named Shay Bourne offers to help with the addition, to which June explains is "the beginning of the end."
The Trial
Elizabeth, June's eldest daughter, and Kurt are found murdered. Shay, the construction worker, is identified as the only suspect. The case unfolds during the trial which becomes a media sensation. The jury convicts Shay of two counts of
capital murder
Capital murder was a statutory offence of aggravated murder in Great Britain, and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, which was later adopted as a legal provision to define certain forms of aggravated murder in the United States. In som ...
. The jury deliberates on the death penalty, and after much time, 11 members agree, with Michael Wright, a young man about Shay's age, being the last juror to agree on the death penalty conviction, after being coerced by the other jury members.
Eleven Years Later
Shay Bourne is transferred to the I-tier at the
Concord
Concord may refer to:
Meaning "agreement"
* Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony)
* Harmony, in music
* Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...
state prison. Shay resides in a cell next to Lucius DuFresne, an artist. During the night, Shay confides in Lucius that he wants to donate his heart to a little girl he saw on TV in need of a
heart transplant
A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease when other medical or surgical treatments have failed. , the most common proce ...
. The little girl that on television that Shay spoke about is revealed to be the daughter of June and the late Kurt, Claire, who has a terminal heart condition.
June agrees to meet Shay in for a
restorative justice meeting. There she asks him, "Why did you do it?" to which Shay answers cryptically, "She was better off dead." Out of spite, June agrees to take Shay's donated heart once he is executed. Maggie, an attorney, begins the legal process to petition the commissioner of corrections to allow Shay to be
hanged
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...
rather than
executed
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
by
lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...
, so he will be able to donate his heart to Claire. Claire's doctor is able to determine that Shay is a perfect heart transplant match.
Maggie, Shay's lawyer, arranges a dinner meeting with Dr. Christian Gallagher, a doctor she's consulting to discuss organ donation for Shay. June sneaks Dudley, the family's spaniel, into the hospital to make Claire feel better, and a nurse reveals the upcoming transplant to Claire, which June hadn't discussed with her daughter yet.
Shay's trial begins, and Father Michael testifies to Shay's religious belief that he needs to donate his heart to Claire to be redeemed. Father Michael uses Shay's quotations from the
Gnostic Gospels
The Nag Hammadi library (also known as the " Chenoboskion Manuscripts" and the "Gnostic Gospels") is a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945.
Thirteen leather-bound papyrus ...
as his religious foundation. Ian Fletcher testifies as an expert on the Gnostic Gospels. Father Michael, privately, admits to Shay that he was on the jury that convicted him to death. Father Michael is able to locate Shay's sister, Grace, and tries to convince her to forgive Shay for setting the fire that ultimately disfigured her face. However, Grace actually started the fire in an attempt to kill their abusive father. Shay took the blame to protect his sister. While Shay testifies, all of his chains (including the
belly chain
Belly may refer to:
Anatomy
* The abdomen, the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax; or the stomach
** A beer belly, an overhang of fat above the waist, presumed to be caused by regular beer drinking
** Belly dance
* The fleshy, cent ...
and
handcuffs
Handcuffs are Physical restraint, restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a Link chain, chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm whi ...
) fall away from him for no apparent reason.
During Shay's trial, it is revealed that Kurt was sexually abusing his
step-daughter, Elizabeth. At the time of the murders, Shay walked in on Kurt assaulting Elizabeth. Shay killed Kurt, who accidentally shot Elizabeth instead of Shay.
The trial concludes, and Shay is granted his request to be executed by hanging to be able to donate his heart to Claire.
Epilogue
Three weeks after Claire's surgery, she is able to go home. While resting at home, Grace, Shay's sister, visits her. Claire sees that her dog Dudley has died, but when she picks him up and holds him to her chest, his heart begins to beat again.
Characters
*June Nealon - Mother of Claire and Elizabeth, wife of Jack, and then Kurt.
*Elizabeth Nealon - June's daughter by Jack. She was one of Shay Bourne's victims. She was sexually abused by Kurt, her step-father, before she died.
*Kurt Nealon - The policeman at Jack's car accident, then June's husband. He was one of Shay Bourne's victims.
*Claire Nealon - Kurt and June's daughter, who needs a new heart.
*Shay Bourne - The accused murderer of Kurt and Elizabeth. He has been on death row for eleven years. He wishes to donate his heart after his execution to Claire.
*Michael Wright -
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...
college student, member of Shay's first jury trial, priest, and eventually Shay's spiritual advisor.
*Lucius DuFresne - A prisoner in the state prison in Concord. He has
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
, is an artist, and resides in the cell adjacent to Shay. Lucius is in prison because he killed his lover, Adam in a fit of jealous rage when he was found with another man.
*Alma - A prison nurse.
*Calloway - A
white-supremacist
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White su ...
prisoner residing on the I-tier with Shay.
*Maggie Bloom - An ACLU lawyer who takes on Shay's case.
*Oliver - Maggie's pet rabbit.
*Dudley - June and Claire's 13-year-old springer spaniel. He is the last connection between Elizabeth and Claire.
*Dr. Wu - Claire's cardiac physician. He encourages June to take Shay's heart.
*Rabbi Joel Bloom - Maggie's father.
*Judge Haig - The judge that presides over Shay's trial to control his method of execution.
*Dr. Christian Gallagher - The doctor who provides Maggie with information on organ donation. He eventually begins a romantic relationship with Maggie. He is also the physician of record for Shay's execution.
*Grace Bourne - Shay's sister, who was disfigured in the fire that sent Shay to juvenile detention. She was sexually abused by a foster father when she was thirteen. Ultimately, Grace was the one to tell June that Kurt was sexually abusing her daughter, Elizabeth.
*Ian Fletcher - A recurring character, joined with his step-daughter, Faith, from Picoult's novel, ''
Keeping Faith
''Keeping Faith'' (1999) is the sixth novel by the bestselling American author Jodi Picoult. The book is about a custody battle involving a seven-year-old girl, Faith White, who may be seeing God.
Plot summary
When Mariah White catches her hu ...
''.
Style
''Change of Heart'' is written such that each chapter is from the point of view of one of the characters, either Maggie, Michael, Lucius, or June. According to Picoult, the narrators were set up like the Four
Gospels
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Accordingly, the Bible's Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John correspond to the narrators names.
Literary significance and reception
In their review, ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' said, "Picoult bangs out another ripped-from-the-zeitgeist winner. Picoult moves the story along with lively debates about prisoner rights and religion, while plumbing the depths of mother-daughter relationships and examining the literal and metaphorical meanings of having heart." The publication also said, "The point-of-view switches are abrupt, but this is a small flaw in an impressive book".
However, others say that the different viewpoints of the characters provide valuable insight to the story for the reader and abruptness is inevitable.
[
]
Donna Seaman reviewing in ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
'' writes, it is "a compulsively readable saga and dramatic critique of capital punishment". Seaman compares ''Change of Heart'' to ''
The Da Vinci Code
''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Langdon ...
'' by
Dan Brown
Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his Thriller (genre), thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), ''The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), ''The Lost Symbol'' (2009), ''In ...
, describing the novel as, "Laced with intriguing musings on the
Gnostic Gospels
The Nag Hammadi library (also known as the " Chenoboskion Manuscripts" and the "Gnostic Gospels") is a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945.
Thirteen leather-bound papyrus ...
, Picoult's bold story of loss, justice, redemption, and faith reminds us how tragically truth can be concealed and denied."
[
]
Janet Maslin
Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...
writing for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' had several criticisms of the book. Maslin wrote that Picoult wrote the novel on "authorial autopilot", as it has the "subtlety of a jackhammer" and was made needlessly long by scenes such as Maggie chatting with her pet rabbit. Maslin asserts that June Nealon is "a wet hankie of a character, full of grief and anger, but otherwise lacking any distinguishing characteristics." She felt that Picoult missed her own chance at redemption, "had ''Change of Heart'' culminated in revelations that were truly plausible or unexpected, its vapidity might have been transcended. But there is no substance to the story's last surprises."
In terms of public reception, ''Change of Heart'' debuted as number one on ''The New York Times'' Fiction bestseller list.
It remained at the number one position for two additional weeks,
before being knocked from the number one position on April 13, 2008 by
Jonathan Kellerman
Jonathan Seth Kellerman (born August 9, 1949) is an American novelist, psychologist, and Edgar- and Anthony Award–winning author best known for his popular mystery novels featuring the character Alex Delaware, a child psychologist who consult ...
's ''
Compulsion
Compulsion may refer to:
* Compulsive behavior, a psychological condition in which a person does a behavior compulsively, having an overwhelming feeling that they must do so.
* Obsessive–compulsive disorder, a mental disorder characterized by i ...
''.
Film adaption
On December 13, 2011
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
announced their plan to produce a film based on the novel. On December 26, 2011 it was confirmed that Paramount Pictures had obtained the film rights to the novel and
MTV Films
MTV Entertainment Studios is the film and television production arm of MTV Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Founded in 1991 as MTV Productions, it is a consolidation of the former MTV ...
was lined up to co-produce.
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
, the director of
Alice Sebold
Alice Sebold (born September 6, 1963) is an American author. She is known for her novels ''The Lovely Bones'' and '' The Almost Moon'', and a memoir, '' Lucky''. ''The Lovely Bones'' was on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list and was adapte ...
's novel ''
The Lovely Bones
''The Lovely Bones'' is a 2002 novel by American writer Alice Sebold. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from her personal Heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives while she ...
'', is slated to direct the film adaption with
Fran Walsh
Dame Frances Rosemary Walsh (born 10 January 1959) is a New Zealand screenwriter and film producer.
The partner of filmmaker Peter Jackson, Walsh has contributed to all of their films since 1989: as co-writer since ''Meet the Feebles'', and ...
writing the screenplay. In an interview on January 8, 2012 the senior president of
MTV Films
MTV Entertainment Studios is the film and television production arm of MTV Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Founded in 1991 as MTV Productions, it is a consolidation of the former MTV ...
stated that they are no longer involved with the project.
On January 13, 2012 Paramount Pictures announced that the first actor to be cast was
Sean Bean
Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean on 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire ac ...
who will play the role of Shay Bourne.
Selena Gomez
Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...
was the first choice for the role of Claire Nealon but she turned down the project. Instead,
Dakota Fanning
Hannah Dakota Fanning (born February 23, 1994) is an American actress. She rose to prominence at the age of seven for her performance as Lucy Dawson in the drama film ''I Am Sam'' (2001), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomina ...
was cast as Claire. On January 19, 2012
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970 ) is an English actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Rachel Weisz, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a BAFTA Award.
We ...
and
Scott Porter
Scott may refer to:
Places Canada
* Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec
* Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380
* Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saska ...
signed onto the project to play as June and Kurt Nealon. On January 20, 2012
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American brand name used by Sony Pictures' Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its parent ...
Production asked to co-produce the film in place of MTV Films.
On January 26, 2012 author, singer-actress
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her act ...
expressed her interest in the film.
Publication history
* 2008, USA,
Atria Books , , Pub Date 4 March 2008, Hardcover
* 2008, USA,
Recorded Books
Recorded Books is an audiobook imprint of RBMedia, a publishing company with operations in countries globally. Recorded Books was formerly an independent audiobook company before being purchased and re-organized under RBMedia, where it is now an ...
, Audio CD
* 2008, UK,
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint (trade name), imprint of Hachette (publisher), Hachette.
History
Early history
The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs ...
, Pub Date 17 April 2008, Hardcover
* 2008, Australia,
Allen & Unwin
George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It went on to become one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and to establish an ...
, Hardcover
* 2008, Australia,
Allen & Unwin
George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It went on to become one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and to establish an ...
, Paperback
See also
*
Gnostic gospels
The Nag Hammadi library (also known as the " Chenoboskion Manuscripts" and the "Gnostic Gospels") is a collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945.
Thirteen leather-bound papyrus ...
*
The miracles of Jesus
External links
''Change of Heart'' entry on official Jodi Picoult website
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Change Of Heart (Novel)
2008 American novels
Novels by Jodi Picoult
Novels set in New Hampshire
Atria Publishing Group books
Novels with multiple narrators