House Rules

I've read House Rules by Jodi Picoult which is a very large book (532 pages) when it didn't need to be. It is the story of 18 year old Jacob who has Asperger's Syndrome, has a very high IQ and is fixated on forensics. He is charged with the murder of Jess, his social skills tutor. The story is told with each chapter being narrated by one of the main characters - Jacob, his brother, his mother, his lawyer and the policeman, so we know what each character is thinking (they even get their own fonts). I found the story frustrating, unrealistic and too long. However, it was very interesting to learn about Asperger's as the author always does her research well. Eventually Jacob goes to trial and there is suspense as the reader awaits the jury's verdict. 31/2/5