House Rules

A Novel

By: Jodi Picoult

Narrated by: Mark Turetsky, Rich Orlow, Nicole Poole, Christopher Evan Welch, Andy Paris

Length: 19 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

The astonishing novel from the number-one New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult about a young boy with autism falsely accused of murder.

When your son can't look you in the eye...does that mean he's guilty?

Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject - forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he's always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he's usually right.

But when Jacob's small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob's behaviors are hallmark Asperger's, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are directly in the spotlight. For Jacob's mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob.

And over this small family, the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?

©2010 Jodi Picoult. All rights reserved. "I Shot the Sheriff" (c)1974 Fifty-Six Hope Road Music Ltd. and Odnil Music Ltd. All rights administered by Blue Mountain Music. Ltd. (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

excellent portrayal of a family caught up in ASD.

As a child psychiatrist, the story was very accurate in giving the details of high functioning ASD. But it went beyond to demonstrate the struggles and needs of each member of the family. When the typical son recognizes the atypical quirks of the brother, in his estranged father, I howled. The fact that there may be multiple atypicals in one family, functioning independently, and unacknowledged is a secret that many academics are reluctant to admit. Well done portrayal of the system and families of some of society's most difficult situations and diagnoses, once again by this outstanding author.

A book that held intrigue until the dry end

Though this novel could have, in my opinion, been abbreviated somewhat, it was a very good story that held my attention until the very end. Well-crafted! My disappointment was at the very end...I felt that though there was indeed resolution of the mystery, there wasn’t resolution enough for me. I wanted to know “Where does it go from here?”

OMG This book is AMAZING!

I loved listening to this book. I wanted to scream at the Mother and the Lawyer to ask the obvious question and no one ever did!!!!! It is captivating and educational! Jodi you did a wonderful job here! My favorite book of the year!

too dragged out

I think there was too much research and it dragged on . I did enjoy learning about Asperger's I feel it was a help in understanding this spectrum of autism

Suspense all the way

The best cliff hanger book I have listened to in a very long time. Also very educational in a sad/fuuny way about the feelings of people that are different and the ones that love them. Highly recommend.

great story, but the ending

I really enjoyed this book, until I got to the end. I felt that the way the story ended wss rushed. There are so many details left out! I felt a little robbed after investing hours into this story.

Enjoyed this book.

I enjoyed this book very much. I found the subject matter interesting and as always Jodi Picoult puts several twists and turns in her books.

Am I the only one that could see the ending from a mile away!?

Great book and well written but the ending did not surprise me at all. The characters were great and I did enjoy it

Insightful, Intriguing, Interesting

This well-researched book helped me understand autism so well as Picoult helped us see things from the perspective of a young man with this mental disorder with great compassion and detail. And on top of all that, the story was edgy and had me wanting to constantly read on. I did figure out the ending before I got there, but it still did not disappoint. Excellent Picoult book. One of her best.
#PicoultsBest #UnderstandingAutism #Family #TearJerker #SingleMom

Picoult does it again.

Make no mistake this is a good book totally worth your time and yes I do recommend it.
Sometimes it feels long and tedious but I think that was intentional so you could emphasize with Emma and Jacob it worked.
I didn’t like how when all was revealed it ended abruptly without going into how they undid what had been done. At that point I had invested a lot of time into the book so what would one more chapter hurt. I don’t want to say more because I don’t want to give anything away.