Powerful exploration of racism
JODI PICOULT’S 23rd novel Small Great Things is an ambitious, powerful and timely exploration of racism.
The American author, who has sold more than 40 million books in 35 countries, wanted to tackle the subject of racism in the United States early on in her writing career but struggled to create characters that rang true.
It took 20 years before she felt equipped to do justice to such a sensitive subject. In her own words: “We have two choices, we can turn our backs or we can try to fight it.”
Picoult’s weapon of choice is Small Great Things which tells the story of Ruth, a dutiful African-American midwife who is assigned to the care of Davis, the child of white supremacists.
Offended by a black woman handling their baby, parents Turk and Brit tell the hospital that only white nurses are allowed to tend him. The hospital indulges their request but later, when the ward is understaffed and Davis goes into cardiac arrest, Ruth intervenes, performing CPR.
Davis’ parents burst in and, rather than seeing Ruth attempting to save their dying son, they see a black woman “killing” their baby. Overcome with grief and rage, Turk and Brit have Ruth arrested and she is charged with murder.
Small Great Things is told by three narrators: Ruth, Turk and Ruth’s lawyer Kennedy. This gives the reader a unique insight into racism from three angles.
Deep down, Ruth is unsure whether she is guilty or innocent.
Aware of the racist “monster” that Davis would surely become, did she use too much force? She has been snubbed and subjugated because of her race all her life so did she lose control in a moment of madness?
But Ruth claims the baby died from underlying health complications and she strives to highlight the discrimination she suffered at the hands of the child’s parents and the hospital. Meanwhile, Turk, who runs a race-hate website and routinely goes “hunting” for strangers to beat up, is hell-bent on getting justice for his dead son, which means having Ruth sent down. And while middle-class, Left-wing lawyer Kennedy is eager to get justice, she feels the case would be easier to win if race was not mentioned in court. Is she perpetuating a discriminatory system? Picoult, below, goes to impressive lengths to give each character a distinct world view and they are so well drawn that you even feel compassion for a thug like Turk. However, in contrast to the moving descriptions of the characters’ pasts, the mechanics of the legal trial, which take up a large portion of the book, often feel a bit dry. Also a more gritty ending might have had more impact. However, Small Great Things is a moving and impressive feat and one which will no doubt challenge many assumptions about racism.