by Jodi Picoult.

Atria Books. 447 pages. $26.95.

BY KRISTIN LATINA
Special to the Journal

Jodi Picoult’s latest novel, Change of Heart — her second to debut at No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list — explores some difficult hot-button issues, as most of her novels do. There’s the pain of losing someone you love to a crime, the desperation of waiting for an organ transplant, the questions surrounding the death penalty, and the much wider question of faith in general.

The story is told from four different perspectives: June, who is pregnant when her husband and daughter are killed; Michael, a member of the jury that sentences the accused killer to death; Lucius, an inmate on the tier where the condemned man is taken to await execution; and Maggie, an ACLU lawyer who hopes to raise questions about the death penalty by getting involved in the case.

All four points of view revolve around Shay Bourne, a handyman with a cloudy past who becomes New Hampshire’s first death-row inmate in 58 years. At Shay’s trial, Michael is the lone hold-out, trying to make his decision based on a mathematical formula that pits intent and evidence against mitigating factors from Shay’s past.

“What I always liked about math was that it was safe. There was always a right answer — even if it was imaginary. This, though, was an equation where math did not hold up. Because A+B — the factors that led to the deaths of Kurt and Elizabeth Nealon — would always be greater than C.” Michael becomes the 12th juror to sentence Shay to death, although he is uneasy about it.

The next time he enters the story, 11 years have passed and he has become a Roman Catholic priest. June’s second daughter, Claire, is in need of a heart transplant. And Michael is asked to serve as a spiritual advisor when Shay expresses his desire to give his heart to Claire.

Picoult’s straightforward writing style and her obviously extensive research on religion, the law, and death-row inmates and procedures create a story in which the reader can relate in some way to all parties involved. June, Maggie, Michael and Lucius all have different ideas of what the “truth” is, but in the end, they all must come to terms with the complexities and the uncertainty of the situation. There is no simple answer.

With the exception of a somewhat unnecessary romance as a subplot, Change of Heart focuses tightly on a highly divisive topic and imagines a scenario where there is value in raising even the most painful questions. This is a book that keeps you turning the pages when the main outcome is, essentially, never in doubt. It is the reactions of every other character that make the story so fascinating. CHANGE OF HEART,

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