House Rules

Written by Jodi Picoult

Narrated by Christopher Welch, Rich Orlow, Nicole Poole and 2 more

One of America' s most popular authors, Jodi Picoult has earned a reputation for crafting riveting, topical fiction. In House Rules she examines how being different can have dire consequences. Teenager Jacob Hunt has Asperger' s syndrome. A forensic science wizard, he follows his scanner to show up at crime scenes and give law enforcement officials his advice. But when his tutor is found dead, he becomes a suspect. Suddenly, his Asperger' s traits-- not looking people in the eye, tics and twitches-- look more like guilt in the view of police.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books Audio
• Release date: Jan 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781440784354

Jodi Picoult

JODI PICOULT is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-six novels. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction, the ALA’s Alex Award, the New Hampshire Literary Award for Outstanding Literary Merit, and the prestigious Sarah Josepha Hale Award in recognition of her distinguished body of written work. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband. They have three children. You can visit her website at wwww.jodipicoult.com  

Reviews for House Rules

[daniel.malcor · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Julie and Robin got me started here. Reading on the Kindle App on the iPad/iPhone

[merrittfamily1990 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was definitely not my favorite Jodi Picoult book. Two words: split infinitives! They were everywhere throughout the book. Since each chapter is told from a different character's perspective, I thought maybe she used these on purpose to sound more like the characters would if they were really doing the talking; however, I realized that couldn't be the case, when, by the end of the book, every character had employed a split infinitive at least once! (including the main character, Jacob, who has Asperger's Syndrome. I couldn't believe that character would actually speak that way because he was supposedly extremely intelligent, and an ardent "rule follower").

All that aside, I was also bothered by a few inconsistencies in the characters that others have also mentioned, such as the fact that Jacob is described at the beginning of the book as having military short hair, but later in the book, the mother speaks of having to wipe the hair away from his eyes.

I figured out early on what had actually happened, but figured I must be wrong, because surely the character who had played such a pivotal role in another character's death would speak up and at least have a conversation with one (or more!) of the other characters somewhere throughout the story about the nature of his involvement! (sorry -- I'm trying not to give away any key aspects of the mystery!) It didn't seem genuine to me that this particular character would actually behave this way, considering he is also very bright, AND he isn't hindered by the behavioral issues associated with Asperger's. I think he would have had an intrinsic need to stand up for his brother as he was being accused of murder because he is saddled with the empathy that so-called "normal" people are prone to, but that his brother was incapable of experiencing. But, then again, if that had happened, the book would have probably been a lot shorter!

[bereanna · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to keep reading this book because I wanted to find out "who done it." The details were a little overdone for me, but it had authentic-feeling actions and descriptions of the lead character, an 18-year-old with autism. I believe that this one was a little stretched and could not really happen in real life, but the autistic behaviors were teaching moments for me and that part I loved.

[parvita-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting story about a single mother, Emma Hunt, who has an 18 years old son, Jacob, who has Asperger syndrome. Jacob is accused of a murder of his tutor and the story goes around how Emma deals with the situation; the court, her day-to-day life, dealing withher other son, while she is still not sure if Jacob commited the murder or not. Picoult did a good job explaining what Asperger (high-functioning autism) is and how a person with the syndrome thinks and behave. Towards two-thirds of the book, I figured who was the "murderer" but did not expect that the ending was quite abrupt. The other question in my mind is that, couldn't Emma just ask Jacob what really happened and get a straight answer? But probably Jacob was just following the house rules his mother created. If anything, the book has succeeded in addressing how each characters thinks and feels and how everybody cares about each other in the family. It is a page turner and smartly written.

[annie24_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Predictable

[schoolnurse_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the audio version of this book. I listened to it while driving to our vacation spot earlier this summer. My husband was forced to hear parts of this book while I drove and he has never experienced an audio book before. We both work in education and enjoyed this book a lot! The writing and speaking voice of Jacob who has Asperger's was spot on and very believable. We even quote parts of this book to each other at times. Although I didn't care to much for the ending and there were no big surprise twists, it was still a great book and one of my favorite Picoult books.

[candacevan_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Once again Jodi Picoult examines a social issue through its impact on a particular family, with emphasis on the mother and children. This time out it's a kind of murder mystery in which Emma Hunt's oldest child, 18yo Jacob, is on trial for the murder of his social skills tutor. Did he commit a brutal murder? Or was he playing at staging a crime scene? Or was he protecting the real murderer?

A good yarn, with engrossing characters. I left feeling as though I had a better handle on what Asperger's is all about.

[proofreeder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

House Rules by Jodi Picoult - Learn how Jacob copes with the every day life of living with Aspergers syndrome and then add in the fact that he is accused of murder. Difficulty expressing himself is only one of his traits that hinders his defense. Did he do it? You have to wait til the end to find out whodunit in this one. Good read!

[naggedman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not an easy read but worth persevering.

[wellreadsoutherner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

And another one of hers that hooked me from the start. On this one I kind of saw the end coming and so it was a little uneventful at the end compared to some others for me. However, I really was fascinated by the inside look into a family with a child that has Asperger's.

[shellyq-532126 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

`This is my first book by Jodi Picoult and it definitely won't be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed reading and unraveling the mystery behind the murder of Jacob's tutor. I especially liked how this book was written from every characters point of view. I found it interesting learning more about Asperger's syndrome and the complexities of living with this illness.The main character is Jacob Hunt who is a teenager with Asperger's syndrome. He is in high school and although his is brilliant, his social skills are nil. His mother Emma hires Jacob a tutor. Jess starts to work with Jacob and they get along great. But, when Jess goes missing and then shows up murdered Jacob becomes the number one suspect.The plot keeps you guessing through the trial and your heart strings definitely get pulled. I would highly recommend this book.

[ddjtj1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

HOUSE RULES BY JODI PICOULT: Believe me when I tell you I would have never chosen to read a book from this author but it was my "blind date" book from my local library so I picked it and I read it. I did not read all of it because the middle part of the "mystery" was the trial which drug on and on. Needless to say I was very surprised that what sections I did read I enjoyed. I enjoyed the characters they were well rounded and very believable, from Emma the mother to Oliver the attorney the author created a pretty well rounded story. If only the murder trial had not slugged its way thru most of the book it would have gotten higher ratings from me.

[yhgail · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The more I think about this book the less I like it. It's at a 3 minus, probably should be a 2.

The author's technique - spend an endless amount of time on items that she feels secure about. Fast gloss when the author didn't figure out anything reasonable.

And I just did not like the characters.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's been a long time since I've read a really good book by Picoult, but thankfully this one delivers. It is a real page turner and, although it doesn't have the twist that most of Jodi's books have, it would have to be one of my favourites by this author. I particularly loved the voices of Jacob, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome and becomes so frustrated trying to make 'normal' people understand him and Emma, who gives a wonderful insight into raising a child with Asperger's. A great read!

[carolee888 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is my favorite of Jodi Picoult's books! I grew up with a younger brother who is severely autistic. He grew up in the 1950's when not much was known about the spectrum. I was really interested in what Jacob Hunt had available to him. It gave more information about Asperger's too. Jacob Hunt was accused of murdering his tutor in social interaction. His fixation with Criminal Investigation and crime scenes never bored me. I am glad the author choose that area, an area that I am familiar with. It seemed weird that an unexperienced attorney would take on the defense without any previous experience instead referring it. But he was an interesting character so I just relaxed and told myself that it was fiction. Jacob's mother world spun around him. I can understand that, my mother was the same way. I was never jealous of all her time and energy spent on trying to help my brother. As and older sibling, I just wanted to help. His younger brother had a different experience than I did but that makes sense too. Jacob's parents did not have their marriage survive. That is the norm. My parent's marriage broke under the enormous strain of having an autistic child. The funny thing is that I knew the answer to murder mystery right away so even though the trial and everything that lead up to Jacob's arrest were interesting. I wanted to step in and show them that the police were not understanding why they were not handing the case right. But I did enjoy the book so much. Listening to Jacob's story taught me more about my brother and I felt sad that he never had a wonderful place to go to de-stress when he was growing, If you are sibling of someone on the spectrum, I think you would very much enjoy this book too.

[thebecks-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Confession time: I had no intention of ever reading a Jodi Picoult book. To me, her books were pretty much equivalent to Nicholas Sparks' books.* Formula: Mix one part "issue" with one part "sap" and one part "luuuuuurve", then swallow. If nausea occurs, try Pepto to keep it down. *Sparks' books are still ones that I have no intention of ever reading. I watched 'A Walk to Remember' and 'The Notebook'. That's enough for one lifetime. There's like 50 movies based on his books now or something, and you know they're scraping the bottom of the barrel when Miley Cyrus is the best they can get to star act be filmed in one. *shudder*

So when this was chosen for my bookclub, I wasn't exactly looking forward to it, and prepared myself to be reticent at the next meeting.

Aside from that, I was worried about the portrayal of a teen with Asperger's Syndrome, particularly because the only other book that I've read with an autistic character was very disappointing for me. I couldn't help but mentally compare the two books, and my opinion of that other book was constantly reinforced: it just lacked substance, depth. It was just mediocre. House Rules was anything but mediocre. It was interesting, insightful, informative and fulfilling.

I'm no Asperger's expert, but I thought that the book worked on many different levels at portraying not only the thought processes and behaviors of one who has it, but also of everyone that is affected by it. I felt that Picoult did her homework, and that she presented the traits, and possible causality, fairly and honestly. There are perspectives on whether heredity, or immunizations, or just randomness cause autism to develop, and I liked and appreciated that it was not treated as an excuse to demonize vaccines.

I particularly empathized with Emma and Theo. Their perspectives were so raw and honest that I couldn't help but love them for it. Emma's raised two sons on her own for 15 years - something that is hard enough without throwing autism into the mix. Her whole life has centered around it. She's done everything in her power to give him the best life she can, and if she suffers for it, that's just part of the job.

There were points in Theo's chapters where he'd be thinking something that an outsider would think is horrible, and even berating himself for it, and I would just sit there commending him for the things he didn't say. For example: "True confession number four: I don't sit around thinking about having kids, normally, but when I do it scares the shit out of me. What if my own son winds up being like Jacob? I’ve already spent my whole childhood dealing with autism; I don’t know if I can handle doing it for the rest of my life."This is a superficially selfish thought, yes, but then I read the subtext to be that he's assuming he'd be around to take care of any kid of his who has autism. He'd stick it out, not leave like his own father did. He'd try to do the right thing, even if he doubts his abilities to do it. It makes me proud of him, and sad for him, at the same time. Because he's lived on the sidelines of autism for his whole life already. His childhood was constantly colored by the routines and the contingencies and the chaos of his brother's condition. To never have "normality" would have to be a terrifying, daunting thought.

Regarding the mystery aspect, I pegged it pretty quickly - about 30% in. All the clues were there, and it wasn't hard to figure out. But I was still interested to see if I was right, or if there would be some twist, other than the one I predicted, to shock me. I kept being a little frustrated with the investigation too. This kid is extremely literal, and extremely honest. Why did nobody think to just ask him directly? I guess I understand why, honestly, but it was still kind of frustrating. And so for that, I knocked off a star. But the rest of the story, the personal and familial aspects, were fantastic. I loved it.

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable book, and I will probably be picking up more of Picoult's books now that I know they aren't likely to be tapped for maple syrup anytime soon. ;)

[jonimfisher · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I suppose Jodi Picoult’s House Rules could be a domestic or family drama, but I am listing it as suspense. A 631-page stunning tale of family dynamics with a memorable special-needs son and the effect of his Asperger’s on the family, the community, and the legal system. The reader gets mesmerizing insights from the various characters caught up in the family nightmare.
I adore Picoult's realistically-drawn characters. Their personal views and interpretations deepen this story. It lingers with the reader long after the reading is done.

[theloislevel · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Couldn't stop reading it once I started even though the characterization is TERRIBLE!

[shouldireadit · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jacob has been accused of murdering his Social Skills teacher Jess. No one can believe Jacob would do such a thing because he never breaks rules and loved Jess. However, when he confesses he did it because it was the right thing to do, it seems he's sealed his own fate in the eyes of the law and is arrested. Oliver, working his first criminal law case, tries to pull out all the stops to get him acquitted, but Jacob's Asperger's keeps getting in the way. Picoult weaves a family story of a teen boy involved in a murder he may or may not have committed, his younger brother, Theo, who wishes his life and brother could just be normal, and a mother who has dedicated her entire life to Jacob - sometimes forgetting all about Theo in the process of helping Jacob. Readers learn a great deal about autism, Asperger's, and how this disorder affects not only the person with it, but his/her family members. Hopefully, this knowledge will translate to more compassion and understanding towards those on the Asperger Spectrum.

[slothybooks · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book was so bad it deserved an account being created just to encourage people to never, ever read it. Being Picoult, who I normally love, I stuck with it in anticipation of the huge twist. Nope, didn't happen. She's really become a lazy author, I guess when you're so famous that all it takes is a ''controversial'' topic to publish, why bother trying? Here we see a watered down, poorly attempted summery of pretty much every other book she writes. we have a 'neglected' sibling, the one with all the issues, a beautiful 'fierce' mother, undeveloped inappropriate romance and a long drawn out boring trial in which the state is evil and OBVIOUSLY the defendant is right. Yup, pretty much My Sister's Keeper without all the writing skill and character development that made that book so beautiful.

I found her take on Asperges (I'd love to see how many times that word comes up in the book)incorrect, unrealistic and at times downright insulting. Although I do appreciate how she was trying to illustrate the effects Asperges has not only on the individual but the family also, she went WAY too far- Theo blaming it for the reason he has no friends? Come on! I'm not sure if she was actually trying to lead her audience into hating anyone with this condition or if she was challenging us to be clever enough to ignore her but either way, I am unimpressed. The self awareness Jacob demonstrates is completely inconsistent with how she attempts to portray him and similarly each and every character displays similar flaws; from Emma, the perfect mom who ignores her younger son, theo who's constantly fighting between criminality and 'just wanting a normal family....' the lawyer who falls madly in love with his client's mom in about 24 hours... the whole thing's ridiculous. Even the trial seemed unrealistic, which is surprising as in court scenes Picoult usually astounds me with a perfect balance between in-depth knowledge and expertly written fiction.

Anyway, enough of this. I have not completely given up on her as an author as this is the first bad book of hers I've read. Hopefully it will be the jolt she needs to stop taking her fame for granted and go back to writing the amazing stories that were Mercy and My Sister's Keeper.

[judithdcollins · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

By far one of Jodi's best thus far - have read all... A Must Read! "

[olegalca · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With Jodi Picoult, it's often "hit and miss" with regards to whether or not I'll enjoy one of her books. This one was a hit.

[feenie1010 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Liked the book up till the end of it; then it just fell flat. Like a few other readers stated predictable & just fell flat. Truly disappointed in the ending.

[pat_f. · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Used-Car Saleswoman of an Author

This is the second book of hers I've read that starts with an awesome premise--in the first, My Sister's Keeper, it's the ethics of having a kid simply to supply body parts for an older sister, and what happens when said kid has had enough; in this book, it's about whether a kid with Asperger's should be convicted of a crime if he/she truly cannot appreciate that the act was wrong.

The problem with Picoult's books is that after presenting the awesome hook, getting you invested in the characters, and making it so you're dying to see how she's going to pull it off, she *never actually addresses the question.* There's some "clever" plot twist at the end that makes the rest of the book irrelevant, and the characters never have to deal with the implications of the original situation. SO frustrating.

I won't fall for this bait-and-switch tactic again. Not recommended.

[kraysaulis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

wonderful book! Two issues 1) I couldn't put it down long enough to enjoy the rest of the world. I was completely captivated for 6 full hours pausing only long enough to refill my water glass. And 2) I figured out the ending too soon and simply found myself waiting to be proven right. I prefer to be surprised by an ending, but this was a little too easy to figure out.

However, as I head into a career working with children on the spectrum I found this to be an incredible insight into the high-functioning autistic mind.

[oldstick · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An engaging story with a fatal flaw.

[krizia_lazaro_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story has the same dynamics with "My SIster's Keeper". It just had a different set of characters and a different "sickness" but "House Rules" is still a must-read. I liked it because I work with special needs children and can relate with the story. However, if you're expecting a really emotional book then it does not compare to "My Sister's Keeper". This one is less emotional and a little bit repetitive. Nevertheless, Picoult is a truly talented writer.

[carmenmilligan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The cover of this book is very deceiving in that the boy on the cover is NOT the main character. As a matter of fact, the boy on the cover doesn't even make an appearance in the book. Jacob is eighteen years old, over 6 ft tall, and weighs 185 pounds. A formidable man. His younger brother is Theo, a 15-year-old on the cusp of getting his driving permit. The boy on the cover, I suppose is a red herring.

Emma is the mother of these two. Caught in the world of being a single parent to a special-needs child who doesn't look so special needs, and a "normal" teenager who is constantly bearing the brunt of broken promises, unmet expectations, and hurt feelings. All through no fault of his own.

The story is riveting, following the characters through their own chapters of first-person narration. As is usual for Picoult, the tale is timely and hard to put down. I found myself pulling for each character, even the hard-boiled police detective; Henry, the absentee father; and, Oliver, the fresh-from-school attorney Emma happens upon because he's open on Sunday.

The ending, however, leaves me in a quandary. Without giving away any spoilers, we find what happened to our victim, who is responsible, and ... well ... that's about it. There is no other resolution, no moving forward. It just kind of ends. Because this is not the first Picoult book I've read, I have to assume that this was a tactic that she chose intentionally, and have thought through how she intended this to add to the reading experience.

And that is why I am giving 3 looks instead of 4. Because I could not figure out what it was.

Recommended.

[mtlkch-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Repetitive and I was very disappointed in the ending.

[claudia.anderson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

why didn't the mother just ask her son what happened, a little unbelievable that everyone involved that understood Aspergers didn't ask the right questions