The first Jodi Picoult novel I read was The Pact. I was in high school and I was intrigued by the realistic characters, the thought-provoking issues, and the courtroom drama. After reading a couple more, I knew that Picoult had a formula for her books: family drama, love, litigation/criminal justice, and while we’re at it, throw in a teenage pregnancy. I put Picoult aside for a while until I read Small Great Things last year, and wow, that book was just amazing. Picoult had thrown out the old formula from her past books and floored me. A Spark of Light was good, but not as good as Small Great Things. It was full of twists I didn’t see coming but also predictable ones. The reverse chronological order of the book just didn’t do it for me. I predicted one of the big “twists” from the start. However, each character was compellingly written and amazingly human. Picoult brings together some of the most divisive topics in American politics today in a compelling read.