So when we need to take a detour away from a detour sign (how ironic is that?) since it’s orange and freaks Jacob out, that trumps the fact that I’m ten minutes late for school. I am supposed to make exceptions for Jacob it’s one of our unwritten house rules. It’s because my mother will tell you Jacob’s not violent, but I am living proof that she’s kidding herself. The reason I’m telling you this has nothing to do with my brother, though. The other fourteen stitches were on my chin, Christmas 2003, when I got so excited about some stupid gift that I crumpled the wrapping paper, and Jacob went ballistic at the sound. Ten of them left a scar cutting through my left eyebrow, after the time that Jacob knocked over my high chair when I was eight months old. I’ve had to get twenty-four stitches on my face, thanks to my brother. House Rules is “a provocative story in which explores the pain of trying to comprehend the people we love-and reminds us that the truth often travels in disguise” ( People). For his brother, it’s another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob.Īnd for the frightened small town, the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder? For Jacob’s mother, it’s a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are thrust directly in the spotlight. Jacob’s behaviors are hallmark Asperger’s, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. And he’s usually right.īut when Jacob’s small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. 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. He has a special focus on one subject-forensic analysis. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways.

Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. When your son can’t look you in the eye…does that mean he’s guilty?

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and the modern classics My Sister’s Keeper, The Storyteller, and more, comes a “complex, compassionate, and smart” ( The Washington Post) novel about a family torn apart by a murder accusation.

House Rules by Jodi Picoult