BOOK REVIEW Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

If you’ve read at least one of Picoult’s imaginative novels, you know how easily you can fall into the lives of her characters and their misadventures. As expected, Wish You Were Here delivers big.

Even though the reminder of our long and life-altering pandemic may not sound appealing if you want to escape into a book, this story takes you to the delightful location of the Galapagos Islands. Artist, Diana O’Toole, has a dream life in New York City at an exclusive art auction company. She’s on the verge of a promotion that will seal her dreams for her career. All the while, her love life is proceeding as planned with a surgical resident boyfriend, Finn, prepared to propose on their long-awaited vacation in the Galapagos. The timing couldn’t be more perfect – until it wasn’t.

When Finn has to stay in New York at the onset of a worldwide pandemic, Diana travels alone to the exotic location only to be quarantined and shut off from communication with anyone she knows. Alone and with nothing but time and the natural world, the local residents expose her to a life she hadn’t imagined. Diana’s new relationships push her to open up and revisit her own creative side, eventually shifting her view of the world, who she is, and what she wants in life.

As is often the case with Picoult, you can submerge yourself in her literary prose and realistic twists that are unpredictable right up to the very end. I encourage to enjoy this read no matter how you feel about this pandemic ordeal. At least a beautifully written story can give it a silver lining.