Broken Things

by Jodi Picoult

A thrilling and beautifully told story about the dilemma of staying true to yourself and being there for the people who need you. Broken Things is the exciting short story prequel to Jodi's new novel, Wish You Were Here.

Nine-year-old Diana keeps a tally of every day her mother is gone, counting down until she will see her again. A world-renowned photographer, Hannah O'Toole is rarely at home, always travelling the globe, chasing the next disaster. She has missed most of Diana's birthdays, so Diana isn't surprised when her mother announces she will be photographing the effects of a drought in Oklahoma instead of staying in New York for Diana's tenth birthday. Diana is thrilled when her father decides to take her for a surprise visit to spend her birthday with her mother, but she can't fail to see that her mother isn't quite as excited. And when the drought is unexpectedly broken by a Force 4 tornado, Hannah must make a choice between her daughter and her passion.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

Kindle Edition

First published January 4, 2022

About the author

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-eight novels, including Wish You Were Here, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister’s Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire.

MAD HONEY, her new novel co-authored with Jennifer Finney Boylan, is available in hardcover, ebook, and audio on October 4, 2022.

Website: http://www.jodipicoult.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jodipicoult

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jodipicoult

Reviews

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken Things is a prequel to Wish You Were Here. When almost ten-year-old Diana O’Toole’s dad takes her out to Oklahoma where her mom, famous photographer Hannah O’Toole is recording the effects of an ongoing drought, it’s a first ever for them all. And apparently, the surprise is less than welcome, judging from the hissed exchanges Diana overhears. But it’s when an adverse weather event hits that Diana truly begins to understand exactly where she stands amongst her mother’s priorities. And in her father’s. These few pages cast light on the fraught relationship shown between mother and daughter in the novel.

[Ioana Lily Balas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short story was at the end of ‘Wish You Were Here’ by the same author and acts as a prequel to the main story, focusing on the relationship between Diana and her mum with some specific examples.

As an accompaniment to the novel, it was fine. Did I think it was necessary? No. I also didn’t think it was particularly interesting given what we find out about her mum later in the main novel. I don’t think it was badly written, but it is such a slice of life that it doesn’t stand on its own and your better off reading the main book which is a complete delight.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is a prequel to her latest book "Wish You Were Here".

Story of little Diana and her relationship with a mother, Hannah, who felt the calling to be traveling taking photos instead of being a mom at home, leaving her with her father. Her dad takes Diana with him to follow Hannah to Oklahoma to photograph the drought. Diana has to face the hard reality that she wasn't enough to fix her mother, a broken thing, and make her want to be her mother.

[Emmaby Barton Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

i remember being little and my mum being my hero... idk what happened

sad bonus story that will hit hard if you also have mummy issues. felt like something was missing though when i read it after the rest of the book, idk what - as a standalone i'd give it as a 4/5 but only a 3/5 in the context of the book which i know doesn't really make sense lol

"even now, years later, when i catch a whiff of that scent, i look for her"

"she caught me the way you catch the flu - squarely and with a flutter of resignation"

"you don't get out much do you?" "i'm nine"

"i'd pretend to have nightmares even when i didn't so i could climb into bed and feel the heat of her wrapped around me"

"As if she could read my mind, she sat down, her camera settled on her knee. "I wasn't made to stay at home," she said softly, looking into her lap. "Some women, they love being mothers. They make it look easy. But I needed to know that there was still space for me to go off and do my work. Because then when I was home, I wouldn't spend all my time wishing I was somewhere else." I stared at her. I knew she was trying to tell me something about herself, something about us, but all I could hear was I wasn't made to stay at home, and the reverberating truth that I wasn't enough to change that about her."

"if motherhood was catastrophic forher, it meant i was the disaster"

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thrilling and beautifully told story about the dilemma of staying true to yourself and being there for the people who need you. Broken Things is the exciting short story prequel to Jodi's new novel, Wish You Were Here.

Nine-year-old Diana keeps a tally of every day her mother is gone, counting down until she will see her again. A world-renowned photographer, Hannah O'Toole is rarely at home, always travelling the globe, chasing the next disaster. She has missed most of Diana's birthdays, so Diana isn't surprised when her mother announces she will be photographing the effects of a drought in Oklahoma instead of staying in New York for Diana's tenth birthday. Diana is thrilled when her father decides to take her for a surprise visit to spend her birthday with her mother, but she can't fail to see that her mother isn't quite as excited. And when the drought is unexpectedly broken by a Force 4 tornado, Hannah must make a choice between her daughter and her passion.

[Sharon Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story from Jodi Picoult that is set and to the point. A young girl, Diana from a home that is dysfunctional at best. Her mother, a photographer, keeps disappearing for work and leaving her child and husband at home without telling when she'll be back. Her dad decides to meet her mum, where she currently is working in a small town, it has been in a drought for 8 months and a man she met is a storm hunter and thinks there'll be a tornado. He's right, while they're starting there a tornado comes through and they nearly lose it all. Dad and Diana go back home, mum stays behind to photograph the devastation. Diana realises she doesn't want her mum home, it hurts too much when she leaves. She's only 10, that's a hard realisation.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet short story about a young girl's relationship with her parents: her photojournalist mother who she loves but who is rarely at home, and her more reliable father who does much of the patenting.

On her birthday, her father takes her out of school to surprise her mother who is working to document the impact of a major drought on a smalo town. It does not go well.

Spoiler:

the broken things are their relationships, and are compared with things which are good when they are broken (like eggs and glow-sticks)

[Varya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little things matter more. They hurt more.
Disappointment is like that torture technique where drops of water are constantly dropped on your forehead and it slowly starts driving you insane little by little. That's how hearts break.
This book reminded me of all that. The spirit here was melancholy and it was beautifully captured in very few words. ❤💔

I am def going to try the sequel to this novella.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A prequel to Wish You Were Here, this short story chronicles Diana’s 10th birthday, which was referenced in the novel. She and her father fallow her mother to Oklahoma where she is photographing the drought conditions only to be caught in a tornado. Diana’s entire life is encapsulated in the tornado where her father stays behind to protect her while he mother sprints off to chase the storm and capture the perfect shot.

[Nikki Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the Prequel to Wish You Were Here, which I read last month.

It shares a more in depth backstory between Diana and her mother Hannah and I just don’t think it really added much extra to the main book, especially when it comes to understanding the characters - maybe if I had read it before reading Wish You Were Here following this, I may have different thoughts.

[Fiona R · Rating 1 out of 5]

A story heading nowhere and one that puttered out like the gifted glow stick. Or snuffed out like a candle might be more apt.
Yes, I realise it’s a short story and a prequel, but this one reminds me why I stopped reading Jodi Picoult, whose early novels were exceptional.
Disappointing, as was the following novel, and poor editing was the nail in the coffin for me.

[Annemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

To stay true to herself, Diana's mum chooses her career over her family. When she tries to explain herself to Diana, Diana is left with the lasting impression that she is not enough to keep her mother at home. Will Hannah's choices come back to bite her? Will she lose her husband and her child?

[Jodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

certainly made me want to dive into the book! I used to read her books the day they came out, but now I do my best to wait as long as I can because sometimes it feels like torture to wait until fall for the next one!!

[Megan Diiorio · Rating 3 out of 5]

This prequel to Wish You Were Here was at the end of the kindle version of the novel. It didn’t add much to my understanding of the characters. Seemed unnecessary. I may have felt differently if I read it before the novel.

[Suzanne Jankowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prequel to Wish You Were Here. After reading this short story I feel that this was incorporated in it entirety into Wish You Were Here because I felt like I had already read it. P.S. I read Wish You Were Here first.

[Christi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story, included at the end of “Wish You Were Here” is a prequel to that novel, focusing on young Diana O’Toole and her mother Hannah. We learn more about Hannah’s wanderlust and begin to see parallels to the character of Diana I. The novel as an adult.

[Mary-Kate Viola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hoping this would be a short story about what happened at the end of Wish You Were Here but it was a short story about the before. Still very good! But I wanted to know what happened after, now I'm still left guessing!

[Missy]

Where can I find this novella? I can't find it anywhere...

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short story was kind of a teaser for the mother-daughter relationship in "Wish you were here", but I read it afterwards, so its interest was a bit lost on me.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely short story!

[Yazir Paredes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice short story. Complements the Wish you were here book. Its the prequel of the book, showing you the main character and her backstory.

[Lucie Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting, it’s very short.
Gave me a good background regarding Diana, before reading “Wish you were here”

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little story prequel to Wish you were here. Let's you really understand the family dynamics that Diana grew up in. Definitely should read it after the novel.

[Akali CruzdJ Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely amazing.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Stephanie Brady · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Rachel Irodenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea this was a prequel when I started this and I was sad when it was over, excited to read the actual book next.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had a sweet ending but kind of irrelevant as we’d already got an insight into Hannah O’Toole

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't look at the blurb first so expected a novel but still good and will read the book that follows this prequel.