Wish You Were Here

A Novel

By: Jodi Picoult

Narrated by: Marin Ireland

Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Small Great Things and The Book of Two Ways comes “a powerfully evocative story of resilience and the triumph of the human spirit” (Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six)

Rights sold to Netflix for adaptation as a feature film • Named one of the best books of the year by She Reads

Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos - days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel they’d booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, the whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

In the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself - and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.

©2021 Random House (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Jodi Picoult once again proves she is the master of wading through the darkness to find the light.” (Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Malibu Rising)

“Wish You Were Here is a transporting and transcendent novel about seeking out glimmers of light in the darkness, and following them wherever they lead. Jodi Picoult is that rare, one-in-a-million writer whose books both squeeze your heart and expand your mind. Her latest is wise, surprising, and utterly extraordinary.”⁠ (Emily Henry, number one New York Times best-selling author of People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read)

“In Wish You Were Here, Jodi Picoult does something brilliant, cracking open something extraordinary. I am just overwhelmed by this book. I actually finished it at three in the morning and started reading it again.” (Caroline Leavitt, New York Times best-selling author of With or Without You)

not my favorite

Maybe I should have read the plot first and gotten a better idea of what this was about. JP is such an amazing author and I have disliked VERY few of her books. This one though, was not my favorite. This book is primarily about Covid. She frequently writes about actual events, so I shouldn't have been too surprised, but the WHOLE book revolved around it and frankly, I read to ESCAPE reality... not be reminded of it (and hear her clear political opinions.) It's ironic that in the author's note at the end, she states that Covid isn't a political matter, but she makes it pretty known what her affiliations are. It's tiresome. The book wasn't bad, I just didn't love it like I hoped I would. Alas, she's still a phenomenal author, I just wish I hadn't spent money on this one

Beautifully written, disappointing ending

I could not stop listening- stayed up till 2am two nights in a row. I’ve read a lot of the reviews - the opinion spread reflects the current state of our country.

A few thoughts:
1. Piccoult’s political views are indeed clear (that’s okay - it’s her book!). Trump is mentioned in a negative light definitely more than once. But she delivers her usual lyrical prose, exhibits meticulous research, and, as usual, I learned some things: about the frontline workers’ experience (bless them!), about the Galapagos, and about lucid dreams/experiences of coma victims. All fascinating.

2. We are now 3 years post lockdown, so my perspective is different from Piccoult’s who wrote this while embroiled in it. Lots of info has emerged - origin of COVID, treatment options previously villified but now proven successful, vaccines that do not actually prevent transmission. Yes, I am vaxxed and boosted and still got COVID, and yes, our dear friends lost their healthy 30 year old son, also vaccinated, to a heart attack, so yes, I am biased (also okay - it’s my review!).

3. The plot twist hit me at first as sadly cliche, but as the story progressed, I felt it advanced the narrative in the best way possible.

4. The ending leaves the reader hanging as if “Season 2” has already been released so you can continue binging. Disappointing and unsatisfying.

Overall, I recommend this book with the caveat that the reader/listener treat it as one person’s perspective on one of the most difficult times the world has faced.

Definitely not my favorite Picoult

I found myself listening and wishing it would end. I am a Picoult fan and will continue listening to her books, just can’t recommend this one. I was not invested in the characters at all.

Juvenile

This might be of value if someone in a 150 yrs wants to research how a pretentions, spoiled, urban millennial might have whined through the inconveniences of travel and faced the reality of a pandemic. One example is the main character insulting with commentary about people who travel alone just for instagram photos. Umm, many of us traveled alone, just because we could, well before internet. The do-gooder side story about the self-harming teen just felt pretentious to me. I regret paying for this audiobook which I did for a book club but then, when the person choosing for the month started reading it, she changed her mind! The plot twist was a surprise and I think it effectively gives insight to a reader what some people experience in severe cases. Gained a star for including the coma dream examples and mentioning DMT.

Piccoult never disappoints.

Another fantastic story by Jodi Piccoult. She is simply amazing. This story is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, as is life. This would make a beautiful movie! As long as they stay true to Jodi’s writing…

Awesome story

You’re gonna love this book. Jodi Picoult continues to outdo herself with each & every book,

I’ve read most of her books, and this one IS the best of the rest.

Try it! It’s definitely worth it!

Important and Enjoyable

As I read this, I remembered back to my AP English and college English Literature Courses that featured books that represented times unknown to me, imagining that one day this may be the book that teaches others what it meant to be alive 2020-2021. Picoult perfectly captures the events in the unfolding pandemic (the politics, the decisions made as we all entered the unknown, the awful and the beautiful). Finn's emails had me in tears as my heart ached for all of the front line workers who sacrificed their well being to fight this virus. The book featured themes of connection and disconnection, which was such a prominent theme in our collective experience in this pandemic. The story grabbed and kept my attention; there were twists and turns that I did not expect. It all came together in the end, and I appreciated the epilogue that offered some explanations that further convinced me of the brilliance of this work.

The reading of Wish You Were Here was also good, but I wish the narrator did not overact so much (e.g. sounding shocked when it was not warranted).

Important

Author captures life during the pandemic from many POV, taking us deep into nightmares but leaving us with hope.

AWESOME!!!!

As usual Jodi picoult does not disappoint!!!! This was a great book that everyone can relate too!!!

so good

loved it. the story has so many sides to it yet so simple at the same time