I just finished reading The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult, and I’m giving it a five star rating. I loved it. Keep in mind that this review is not necessarily from a Jody Picoult fan. I haven’t read enough of her stories yet to call myself a fan, but based on this book, I’ll look for more.

The Storyteller intrigues me because it is a story within a story within a story. It is the story of a granddaughter discovering the story of her grandmother, who used a story to get her through the holocaust. All three of these stories have the same themes running through them.  What/who is evil? What/who is good? What does forgiveness look like and who may offer it or withhold it?

Telling a story within a story is not new. I’m thinking of the Bible and the parables of Jesus. These are short stories that illustrate the larger story of his life and mission. The Broadway show, Man of La Mancha, uses this technique also. It’s the story of Cervantes in jail, telling the story of Don Quixote. I’ve used the technique myself. Within my kid’s novel, The Ghost of the Charlotte Lighthouse, is the real story of lighthouse keeper Cuyler Cook and how he died tending the lighthouse during an August noreaster in 1853.

We all love stories. Any information is much more interesting when told as a story instead of a compilation of facts. Stories have the paradoxical ability to remove us from a situation enough to examine it less emotionally, while at the same time, making it more personal, intimate, and understandable.

I love stories. That’s why I’m a reader, and that’s why I’m a writer. What’s your story?