Vanishing Acts By Jodi Picoult By anninwaterloo on Mar 29, 2008 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

I've just recently discovered author Jodi Picoult, having recently read "My Sister's Keeper", which I really enjoyed. So I was excited to pick up "Vanishing Acts". The story is about Delia Hopkins, who has been raised by her father, believing her mother to have died. However, when the police show up one night and arrest her father, the truth comes out: her father kidnapped her and her mother is still alive.

The story moves from New Hampshire to Arizona, where Delia's father stands trial. As is Picoult's style, the story is told from several characters: Delia, her father, Delia's mother, Delia's fiance (who is also the mother of her child and her father's lawyer), and another childhood friend.

My main complaint with this book was that Picoult tries to tell the stories of so many characters that I didn't feel the main ones were fully developed. While well-written, it also isn't as suspenseful as "Sister's Keeper". Many events that were meant to be shocking could be figured out long beforehand. Still, if you are a Picoult fan, you will likely enjoy "Vanishing Acts".