Following The Rules

House Rules
By Jodi Picoult
Atria (2010)
Hardcover, 544 pages
Rated 4 Stars of 5 possible

The kaleidoscopic viewpoint used in House Rules gives the story an interesting perspective... each of the main character tells his/her part of each chapter in alternating turns, including the autistic young man who has been accused of murder. It is a pretty interesting look into Autisim spectrum disorders in general and, specifically, Asperger's syndrome.  Jacob Hunt takes everything quite literally and interprets each situation he encounters in terms of the five basic house rules his mother has taught him.

While I had previously read excerpts from several Jodi Picoult's early novels, this is the first time I've read a book of hers in its entirety. As expected, it is a page-turner. The writing is well-done and the research impeccable. The author uses suspense to draw the reader ever-deeper into the story; instilling doubt (Did Jacob kill his social-skills tutor? or did Jacob's brother, Theo, kill the young woman? Was someone else involved?) and resolving questions as the story develops. I love the way she incorporated a short synopsis of high profile, real-life cases at the beginning of each main chapter, which helped to highlight Jacob's interest in forensics.

Recommended first for the author's fans, second for those who have an interest in forensics or Autism, and third for those who haven't yet experienced reading a novel written by this author. This review has simultaneously been posted on Amazon.com, Dragonviews and LibraryThing.