My Sister's Keeper is a powerful story that deals with a family tragedy and describes how the different members of the family are affected by it. More specifically, it is a story about a girl with a serious illness (APL), and the impact her leukemia has on her family.
Sixteen-year-old Kate was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia when she was two, and when her parents heard news that she would only have a 23% chance of survival, they took whatever measures were necessary in order to save their child. Those extreme measures resulted in the birth of Anna, a genetically engineered little sister, who's purpose is to be an exact match for her older sister in order to donate blood and anything else that is required. Over the course of 13 years, Anna is forced to undergo multiple medical procedures to keep her sister alive.
More info on APL - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/childAML/HealthProfessional/page7
Kate's leukemia has a profound effect on her family, and this is one of the main themes in the book.
Although the Fitzgerald's are all part of one family, but they cannot get along as a unit. Kate is very sick, and is constantly struggling to stay alive and try to live her life, Sara, the mother, remains as strong as she can and is willing to do anything in order to save her daughter, even if that means risking the happiness of the rest of the family. Brian, the father, is quiet but attentive, and uses his job as a firefighter to escape and distract himself from the family life. Anna, the younger sister and main character, battles with herself and her family to be her own person and what she believes is right and wrong. Anna truly loves Kate, and really wants Kate to get better, but she feels as though only one of them can live, and she feels as though it is her turn. Jesse, the older brother, constantly rebels against his family and against the law in order to distract himself of the tragedy of his home life.
""Don't mess with the system, Anna," he (Jesse) says bitterly. "We've all got our scripts down pat. Kate plays the Martyr. I'm the Lost Cause. And you, you're the Peacekeeper."" (pg 15)
The parents, Sara and Brian, are being pulled every which-way -- trying to save their dying daughter, yet they want to pay attention to all of their children and give them a normal life. In this situation, I can understand how the parents struggle with their roles, and feel like they have to pick who to love or who to care for and give 100% to. The obvious choice is Kate, because of her illness, but they are blinded by Jesse's reckless behavior and Anna's anger, concern and her feeling of being used and not cared for. Near the beginning of the book, Anna decides to sell her favorite necklace in order to help pay for s lawyer, and only her father notices that she is acting strangely. Her mother is too consumed with caring for Kate to see deeply into the lives of her other children.
I am very interested to see how the family dynamic changes and develops as the story continues.
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