Difficult and Complex Issues in "the Tenth Circle" by Jodi Picoult

In Jodi Picoult's "The Tenth Circle," there are many complex issues that are difficult to process and deal with- both for characters in books and for people in real life. While some issues are obvious and very real, others are more complex or personal. "The Tenth Circle" is about a girl named Trixie and her family trying to deal with the many issues that proceed her rape. There are many events that contribute to Trixie's slow mental recovery, along with her father and mother's mental recovery.

One step towards the recovery of Laura, Trixie's mother, is to admit to her affair. This contributes to her recovery because it makes her much more available to her daughter and her husband, who need her desperately during their struggle to move on with their life. Adultery is one complex issue in this book, and is mentioned frequently. Daniel, Trixie's father, is a comic book illustrator, and his book does not portray adultery lightly, with "Adultery Demons" being the "Fourth Circle Of Hell." Laura's affair is taken very seriously and is not discreet. The night of Trixie's rape, Daniel confronts Laura about her affair and asks if she was with the man the night that their daughter was raped. This shows how complex the social issues are in this book and how damaged the characters are.

When Daniel is trying to recover from Trixie's rape, a major conflict he deals with is drawing the fine line of how much she needs him and where to step in or let her go. Daniel describes Trixie as "just growing away from him," and can't handle not having her so close to him. Daniel is always there for Trixie and in a way, her problems are a repetition of Daniel's problems as he grew up. A complex problem that Daniel is forced to deal with is his daughter's growing up and not needing him for many things. Daniel also has to deal with learning when to be there for Trixie. All in all, Daniel has to deal with many complex issues on helping Trixie grow up.

Trixie has to deal with many, many complex issues when she is recovering to her rape. She goes through periods of suicidal tendencies, and cuts her arms. She also deals with being in love with a boy who rapes her, and the complex emotions of not knowing what to feel, especially when he boy is killed and she is a suspect. "She hadn't been looking to ruin his life. She'd only been looking to salvage her own," writes Picoult, describing Trixie's thoughts on flirting with Jason, the boy who raped her, at the party. It is an incredibly complex issue to thin about Trixie loving Jason even though he hurt her so badly.

All in all, "The Tenth Circle" is a book with many complex and difficult issues. Like many of Picoult's books, one of the main ideas is how far to go for someone you love, and whether killing can be justified. I thought that this book was very well written and had a suspenseful, well crafted plot.