Book Review: Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

Second Glance, published in 2003, is set in a small town in Vermont, USA, where a proposed development on an ancient Indian burial ground sparks off strange happenings in the town. Ross Wakeman – a ghost hunter searching for the spirit of his dead fiancé – begins investigating and uncovers some shocking secrets from the 1930s. Intertwined are various love stories – romantic, filial and parental.

The story here is a bit different to Picoult’s usual ‘what would you do if…’ scenarios (although I see that the most recent reprint has positioned it as such). However, it’s a big, complex plot spanning ghosts, Indians, a rare genetic disease, eugenics, an unsolved murder, modern times and the 1930s, as well as multiple key characters.  I’m always impressed by the amount of research Picoult has clearly carried out before writing her books but the breadth of subject matter here is remarkable! I wonder how long it takes her and how she organises all the notes...

Some of the facts that Picoult retells in this book are pretty shocking – the story of 1930s eugenics practice in Vermont has been buried for a long time and the way that Picoult links it to modern genetics is really thought-provoking. Were the intentions of the early eugenicists, who apparently inspired Hitler, good or evil? And how does that relate to modern genetics? The modern geneticist in the story, Meredith, is clearly trying to good with her science, but is that so different to the earlier scientists?

Like all of Picoult's books, relationships are the backbone of Second Glance and the tales of the various relationships, including a brother and sister, mother and daughter, grandmother and granddaughter, grandfather and granddaughter, uncle and nephew, burgeoning romances and friendships are all authentic and believable. 

I have to admit I wasn’t too keen on the ghost element of the story. I am open-minded on the issue but I think the lifelike nature of the ghost that Picoult describes and the abnormal occurrences that are seemingly linked to the paranormal goings on are pretty far-fetched. 

The complexity of the plot, with multiple twists and turns and the numerous characters meant it took some time to settle into this book, but I loved how all the strands of the plot and the characters’ lives were tied up by the end – I really hate to be left hanging, wondering what happened to someone or something in a story!