My Sister's Keeper

My Sister's Keeper is a 2004 novel by Jodi Picoult about the Fitzgerald family and the ethical conflict surrounding a child conceived as a genetic match for her sick sister.

My Sister's Keeper is a 2004 novel by Jodi Picoult about the Fitzgerald family and the ethical conflict surrounding a child conceived as a genetic match for her sick sister. It follows Anna Fitzgerald, who seeks medical emancipation when her parents plan to require a kidney donation for Kate, her sister with leukemia. The novel has circulated widely in Canadian schools, libraries, and book discussions as a contemporary work of ethical fiction.

Plot

The novel follows the Fitzgerald family as Anna challenges her parents over an expected kidney donation to Kate. The legal case raises questions about whether a child conceived as a donor has the right to refuse further medical procedures.

Themes

Major themes include medical ethics, parental responsibility, sibling sacrifice, and the right to bodily autonomy. Reviews and summaries describe the book as centred on difficult questions about saving one child at another's expense.

Narrative structure

The novel is told through multiple perspectives and moves across a short present-day timeframe, with earlier events revealed through flashbacks. Kate’s point of view is withheld until near the end.

Adaptations

My Sister's Keeper was adapted into a 2009 feature film. The adaptation is commonly listed as a film version of Picoult's 2004 novel.