Plain Truth

So, longtime readers of this blog will know that last spring I developed quite a fascination with Amish fiction. I know that many people are intrigued with the Amish; for me, I think that I admire their strong sense of faith and community.

So far, the books that I've read in this genre have all come from traditional Christian book publishers, and have been geared toward a romance. Jodi Piccoult's Plain Truth was on the voting list for the library book club this year, and I voted for it. It didn't get selected, but I thought that I would check it out anyway, given my interest on the topic. Right away, I knew it would be different because it was coming from a mainstream author and publisher, and just happened to feature an Amish community.

I ended up appreciating this book for that very change of pace it offered me. I also like that it featured a non-Amish protagonist who comes to live in an Amish household. The other books I've read have featured all Amish characters, or a non-Amish character who was merely secondary to the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I've never read of Jodi Piccoult's other books, so her 'formula', if you will, is still new to me. There was a bit of courtroom drama, some romance, lots of mystery, and lots of characters learning to appreciate different ways of seeing and doing things that they grew to appreciate.

For anyone that is interested, the plot of this book involves a young Amish girl being accused of hiding an out-of-wedlock pregnancy and subsequently killing her newborn. Not an easy subject matter, to be sure, so that's an important fyi. But it's not overly descriptive on that issue; there is lots of clinical discussion amongst experts as to how the infant died, but it's not "gory." The protagonist is a big city attorney who comes to defend the young Amish mother. If the premise of the book does not bother you (well, how can it not? but if you are able to read books with these types of plot lines), I recommend it. I think you'll enjoy it.