Trixie Stone is the fourteen year old daughter of Daniel, an up-and-coming graphic artist, and his Dante-expert academic wife Laura. The Tenth Circle begins two weeks after Trixie's boyfriend has broken up with her. Devastated, Trixie tries to win him back, and triggers a catastrophic chain of events that - among many other things - force Laura and Daniel to confront their troubled marriage, and Daniel's hidden past.
Uniquely, the text is interwoven with pages from Daniel's breakthrough graphic novel. While I can see how other readers have found that distracting, I felt it contributed to a better understanding of Daniel - both his work, and to the anger he tries hard to repress. That said, I clearly didn't give it all the attention it deserves, because I completely missed the hidden message (see the last page).
Uniquely, the text is interwoven with pages from Daniel's breakthrough graphic novel. While I can see how other readers have found that distracting, I felt it contributed to a better understanding of Daniel - both his work, and to the anger he tries hard to repress. That said, I clearly didn't give it all the attention it deserves, because I completely missed the hidden message (see the last page).
Picoult is one of the few authors (comparatively speaking) that I buy on sight. I usually wait until they come out of trade size to buy them, but it was on sale and I couldn't resist. I find something rewarding in all of Picoult's novels - she manages to blend a fantastic plot with multiple viewpoints (each with their own, clear voice), fully-imagined characters, well-integrated flashbacks, and a minority culture (prisoners, the Amish, the Inuit) into a seamless whole.
The Tenth Circle isn't my favourite Picoult novel - I guessed the 'whodunit' aspect in advance (and I wasn't trying), and there isn't complete resolution, which I find unsatisfying. On the other hand I found the plot compelling and the characters and their complexity believable and realistic. I particularly liked the portrayal and evolution of Daniel and Trixie's relationship, and the character of Trixie, who embodies the contradiction, short-sightedness, impulsivity and wisdom of adolescence. - Alex
The Tenth Circle isn't my favourite Picoult novel - I guessed the 'whodunit' aspect in advance (and I wasn't trying), and there isn't complete resolution, which I find unsatisfying. On the other hand I found the plot compelling and the characters and their complexity believable and realistic. I particularly liked the portrayal and evolution of Daniel and Trixie's relationship, and the character of Trixie, who embodies the contradiction, short-sightedness, impulsivity and wisdom of adolescence. - Alex
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