Throughout her career, but particularly in recent years, Jodi Picoult has proven herself a fearless author, willing to fictionalize any controversial topic. A Spark of Light may well be her most risky, ambitious, and successful endeavor to date because she at last tackles the issue of abortion.

The setting is a women’s reproductive health services clinic where the staff offers services to anyone who comes through the door. In a story that could all too easily be ripped from any morning headline, it is a gunman who enters. He opens fire, immediately killing some and taking others hostage.

Hugh McElroy is the police hostage negotiator who initiates communication with the gunman and soon discovers that Wren, his own fifteen-year-old daughter is inside the clinic, along with her aunt, Hugh's sister. Also inside with the gunman is a nurse who calms her own panic in order to save the life of a wounded woman; a doctor who work at the clinic because of his faith; a pro-life protester who entered disguised as a patient but may now be a victim of the rage she has experienced herself; and a young woman who is there to terminate her pregnancy.

Picoult employs an unusual and highly effective technique to relate the day's events: They are set forth in reverse chronological order, hour by hour. Thus, the book opens at the point of the story's dramatic climax, and then the events that led up to that moment are revealed in reverse order. As Picoult traces the action back through the morning, showing how each individual came to be at the clinic, the characters' secrets and motivations are revealed. Heart-breaking, jaw-droppingly ironic details are explored that demonstrate how beliefs, assumptions, demands, fears, and, indeed, bravery converged to fatefully deliver each person to the clinic on that particular day.

Employing her signature style, through the thoughts, beliefs, and actions of her characters, Picoult asks readers to ponder the most difficult questions. How should the rights of a pregnant woman to autonomy and privacy be balanced against the rights of her unborn child? Can laws imposing absolute boundaries ever be workable? How do one's past experiences and upbringing undergird and inform one's opinions on the subject? And given the wide range of beliefs, values, and experiences Americans hold, is there any possible way that, as a society, consensus can ever be achieved?

A Spark of Light is a compelling, demanding, and thought-provoking story that provokes a deeply visceral reaction. The subject matter and story are timely, controversial, and provocative. In the hands of a less-skilled writer, the story could have become mired in preachy, judgmental rhetoric. But Picoult approaches the topic with sensitivity, and compassion and respect for all of her characters. Thus, she manages to tell the story in a balanced, understanding fashion. Picoult's extensive research on the topic is evident in the way she portrays the fragility of her characters and the monumental impact of beliefs and actions upon their own lives, as well as upon the lives of their loved ones.

For fans of Picoult's work, as well as those who have never read her previous books, A Spark of Light is, along with Small Great Things, a book that simply must be read by anyone seeking to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the competing viewpoints on abortion, and why those on opposite sides of the issue must find a way to peacefully co-exist.

A Spark of Light was simply amazing. Jodi Picoult is so good at what she does, and she always has the ability to take issues within today's society and spin them in so many different directions. Taking on the issue of abortion and clinics such as Planned Parenthood is hitting us right in the feels. A man comes into a clinic with a gun and starts shooting. As we read backwards through the time frame of the story, we come to find out that the man's daughter is going to prison for having an abortion and the man blames the clinic--instead of blaming the state where the law is being upheld. On the other side, the man who is the hostage negotiator realizes that his own daughter is being held in the building, even though she was not there for an abortion, but to get birth control. A Spark of Light was an emotional roller coaster and while it tells both sides of the abortion issue through different stories, it only made me realize why I am pro-choice and scared to know that this type of thing could happen anywhere at any time.

This book was ok. I didn't hate but, but I didn't love it either. I felt like the story was slow and I didn't like the way the characters were fleshed out. I know it won't be ending up in my reread pile.

I liked this latest from Jodi Picoult but did not love it. I was a huge fan of her early work, and particularly loved the way she could make you care about timely issues and topics through characters that you could relate to and root for. In her past few books, it feels more like the "issues" are front and center and the characters are incidental. Though her work is still easy to read and page turning, they do not stick with me like they used to.

Interesting subject matter. Written in reverse time, it could have been a miss for Picoult. Instead, it was a masterful hit!

I read Jodi Picoult books every chance I get. The unusual way this book unfolded backwards was very different from her usual stories. But, her stories are known for having an unusual twist in them. This story is set inside The Center, a women's health clinic. Several of the clinic's patients are taken hostage. How they deal with the situation and what actually brought them to be at The Center on this day will keep you thinking long after the hostages are rescued. Jodi Picoult does an excellent job of telling her stories through the eyes of several different characters yet blending their stories into one central theme. Each character will be changed by events, Ms Picoult gives them emotions so real you will feel their fear and pain along the way. One of my favorite books is Her Sister's Keeper. While this one did not leave me crying at the end...it was close.

As always, I was eagerly awaiting the newest Jodi Picoult and hearing the plot details of the book, I figured it would be a very, very good book, much like her last one Small Great Things. But I'm sad to say I was a little disappointed with this one. It is told in reverse chronological order and there were two characters whose names were very similar that it was hard to keep track of what storyline went along with what woman. I'm not saying it was a horrible book - it kept my interest for sure and I read it within a few days - but just not the typical awesome Jodi Picoult I'm used to.

As always, Jodi Picoult has dragged me into the world of her characters right from the start. This book was fast-paced, and included a fascinating cast of characters that you were rooting for to have a happy ending.

I thought it was interesting that Picoult chose to tell the story in a non-chronological order. It made it very interesting to try to figure out when/why a particular event happened, and once you got to that part where the explanation came, you have a more emotional connection to it.

Jodi Picoult does not disappoint. She takes us into the minds of those involved in a planned parenthood shooting/hostage situation. The material was not new and the situation continues to occur too frequently. Picoult makes it interesting and unforgettable by presenting not only the victims' perspective but also the perspective of the perpetrator and the friends and family of all. It was very eye-opening to know the protesters' view, to know how a father of a victim feels, to understand how the hostages feel about each other and the situation and to know what is going through everyone's minds. I will probably never watch a news clip on one of these situations through the same eyes again. I love the way Jodi Picoult makes me think!

This is of story of abortion and hostage taking at a woman's clinic. It is told by the police chief's daughter who is being held inside. Wren tells the story from the hostages point of view while her dad tells the police side. I think there was a little too much abortion talk rather that the police procedure and crime aspect. I'm a fan of Jodi Picoult but this story didn't hold my interest like some of her previous books. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What a rollercoaster. Due to how the book is written, we know how it ends, but that doesn't change the emotional ride throughout. Jodi Picoult Tackles a tough topic yet again, showing it from multiple perspectives, allowing the reader to find at least one to identify. She took a tough stance of showing that we are all human, no matter our beliefs, and we need to take that into account first.

A well-researched and informative book that delves deep into a hard-hitting and controversial topic. The timeline of the story didn't quite resonate with me, but I still found it an enjoyable read.

Jodi Picoult does not shy away from controversial topics. A Spark of Light bring the pro-life/pro-choice debate to the forefront by a shooting at a fictional clinic. Picoult chooses to tell the story in reverse, which to readers like myself that prefer the details up front, this can be somewhat frustrating.

I thought this might be a book that presents two sides to a heated topic, but it wasn't.

I wanted to see a well-thought-out depiction of the differences between pro-life and pro-choice...something that would make me say, "Hmmm, I can see their point." I didn't get that.

I didn't like the way it was written. The suspense was gone after we saw what happened at the beginning.

I appreciate the topic of abortion and women's choices, written in a caring and real way. I enjoyed this book, but don't feel strongly about it. The plot moves backwards, giving the story an experimental feel, and ultimately I didn't feel that it added enough to the book to be effective.

5pm Jackson, Mississippi

A shooter has walked into a women's health clinic and taken the lives of a few inside. The remaining people are hostages and negotiations with police are ongoing. Hugh is the negotiator and his daughter and sister are inside. He refuses to be taken off the case until he is certain that they are safe and get out of the situation alive. This is the story of the shooting victims, the hostages, the negotiator, and several other people tied to this one event. Working backwards by the hour we see how the main event unfolded and how all the people came to be associated with the clinic.

This was at times very hard to read. Abortion is such a tough topic to talk about, no matter what your viewpoint may be. Each character in this story had very strong opinions on the topic and some parts were pretty graphic and made me cringe. A lot of the Jodi Picoult books I've read usually go back and forth between characters for alternating chapters. This one was different since it worked backwards. The first chapter is pretty much how the story ended, which was unusual and slightly confusing at first. There were so many characters to keep track of and without any background information to start with I had a hard time differentiating between some of them women. For that reason I didn't feel as connected to some of the characters as I normally am in her books. I also would have liked a little more written about the characters after the day was over. There wasn't any closure for some of the people, which felt unfinished to me.

Picoult's last book covered racism, she is definitely not one to shy away from covering tough subjects. However, at points this book seemed a little too clinical for me. Too much detail I didn't find necessary (I really don't need to know the details of what a 15 week abortion looks like). I think it could have been written without certain details and still have the same impact. The author's note at the end of the story was excellent and not to be missed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this title for review. All opinions are my own.

OK-I have to admit that I am a HUGE Jodi Picoult fan. I own about 15 of her books, and spent a good portion of my 20s binging her books. I loved her style, the way all of her storylines focused on an "issue," how all of the character storylines merged, how you could go into the book thinking one way about something and come out with a new perspective and understanding. This book did that, but not in the way I always wanted to. I'm not sure if it was because of the seriousness of the topic (abortion) or the seemingly disjointed method of telling the story backwards (5 pm, 4 pm, 3pm, 2 pm, etc). There were big sections that seemed too verbose, too much of Picoult trying to get pithy zingers in instead of writing a story and letting us discover those moments of clarity and insight along with the characters themselves.

Don't get me wrong; I did still enjoy it. I read this in a little over a day and am looking forward to discussing it with my book club members.

Jodi Picoult's latest novel is a good one, with the hot button issue she tackles this time being abortion. The book starts near the end of a an attack/hostage situation on an abortion clinic in Mississippi, from the perspectives of a number of different characters, and then each chapter goes an hour back in time so the day unfolds in reverse. Given this structure, it's actually quite amazing the suspense the book generates. I did guess two of the twists, but in a way that was satisfying rather than annoying, and there were a few good other surprises, including the random ways characters lives intersected. Picoult is clearly pro-choice, but does a great job of examining the sensitive issue of abortion from all different angles in a thought-provoking way.

Jodi Picoult does it again. Picoult's books share a thoughtful side to newspaper headline stories, and A Spark of Light is no different. Set at a women's clinic in a single day, the events following an active shooter unfurl in reverse as characters, in and out of the clinic, tell the story of this fateful day starting at 5PM to 8AM then closing with the 6PM Epilogue.
While my opinions weren't changed as they are sometimes with Picoult's thoughtful topics, she does show all sides of the issues through the various characters; their different situations and motives drive the plot and build suspense as this story rushes backwards in an un-put-downable way typical of Picoult.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

The book starts with the ending and goes backward to the beginning. This is not a format I really like so I spent most of the book really really annoyed. I found it slow, slightly predictable and not up to par with Picoult's other works.