Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult - Book Report/Review Example

Change of Heart” by Jodi Picoult Shay Bourne is one of the most compelling characters in the entire book. Accused of the murder of Kurt Nealon and his stepdaughter Elizabeth, Bourne is found guilty on two counts of capital murder and is given a death sentence. Prior to the murders, Bourne seemed like a person who would fit the profile of someone who could eventually be tried for a heinous crime. He appeared to be a kind man, yet his mere presence made him suspicious from the beginning. Furthermore, since he was the only possible suspect in the murder case, it was not difficult to label him as an evil, vicious, and heartless man.

However, after Bourne was sentenced to death, he revealed a new facet of his personality to the remaining family members of Kurt and Elizabeth. After seeing Claire on television, who is the late daughter of Kurt and a terminal heart patient, Bourne declares that he wants to donate his heart to her after he has died. After much debate, Bourne finally gets his last wish, the chance of giving a young girl hope for a future. It was also revealed that, at the time of the murders, Bourne had walked in on Kurt sexually abusing Elizabeth.

Bourne had meant to kill Kurt but missed, killing Elizabeth; he then turned the gun on Kurt. Despite the original assumptions of Bourne’s character, he proved himself to be a loving and protecting man, both in life and in death. The character of Shay Bourne seems very real. His protection and need for revenge for the sake of Elizabeth are intense and realistic, and his concern for the life of a girl he did not know is just as convincing. It is not difficult to imagine someone going to the lengths that Bourne did for the sake of a helpless child.

If this character were real, I would be able to relate to him and what he did in the sense that, even though his actions were lawfully wrong, his attempt to protect an innocent child was morally right.