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House Rules

Audiobook
0 of 2 copies available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
0 of 2 copies available
Wait time: About 2 weeks

One of America's most popular authors, Jodi Picoult has earned a reputation for crafting riveting, topical fiction. In House Rules she examines how being different can have dire consequences. Teenager Jacob Hunt has Asperger's syndrome. A forensic science wizard,

he follows his scanner to show up at crime scenes andgive law enforcement officials his advice. But when his

tutor is found dead, he becomes a suspect. Suddenly, his Asperger's traits—not looking people in the eye, tics and twitches—look more

like guilt in the view of police.

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Only a full cast of narrators could effectively deliver the intensity of Picoult's horrifying story of a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome (autism) who is accused of a brutal murder. Compelling to the last word, the novel is an emotionally powerful depiction of how a family is affected by autism--daily and in crisis. Whether our legal system fairly serves those who think and communicate differently is a question asked throughout. Mark Turetsky flawlessly portrays both Jacob Hunt's brilliance and his limitations. Nicole Poole grasps the heroic character of Jacob's mother with an articulate, perceptive, and resigned vocal nuance. Andy Paris delivers the tones of Jacob's "normal" teenage brother--neutral yet warm. Righteous and compassionate, complex and spellbinding--HOUSE RULES is another Picoult gift of wonder. A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 21, 2009
      Perennial bestseller Picoult (Handle with Care
      ) has a rough time in this Picoult-esque blend of medical and courtroom drama that lacks her usual storytelling finesse. Eighteen-year old Jacob Hunt has Asperger's syndrome, and his devoted single mother, Emma, has built their family's life around Jacob's needs, sacrificing her career to act as his caregiver and all but ignoring a younger son, Theo. But when Jacob is accused of murder, that carefully crafted life comes apart, and all of the hallmarks of Jacob's diagnosis begin to make him look guilty. Emma hires a young attorney whose attachment to Jacob brings him close to the family as he struggles to mount a defense for Jacob, whose inability to read social cues makes him less than an ideal client. While Picoult's research is impeccable and she deals intelligently with charged questions about autism and Asperger's, the whodunit is stretched sitcom-thin and handled poorly, with characters withholding information from the reader throughout. Picoult's writing, line by line, is as smooth as ever, and she does a great job of getting into Jacob's head, but the wobbly plotting is a massive detriment.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from May 3, 2010
      Having clear house rules has proven to be the most effective way for single mother Emma Hunt to raise her two sons: brilliant 18-year-old Jacob, who has Asperger’s syndrome, and 15-year-old Theo. Jacob’s obsession with criminal forensics has brought him to the notice of local law enforcement, and when a murder is committed, Jacob becomes a suspect. Gripping suspense, sensitive treatment of Asperger’s, and brilliant characterizations make for an outstanding listen. Playing Jacob and Theo respectively, Mark Turetsky and Andy Paris sound youthful but never childish or mannered. Rich Orlow as the police detective, and Christopher Evan Welch playing the defense attorney are mature and assured. And Nicole Poole as the mother delivers a star performance; her Emma comes alive, and while never imitating the other narrators, her representations of the other characters in dialogue are so true the reader could forget it wasn’t the designated cast member in the role. An Atria hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 21).

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