Amish novel tells the ‘Plain Truth’

“Plain Truth” by Jodi Picoult is a deep, suspenseful murder mystery set in the unexpected scene of an Amish farm in Pennsylvania.

When big-city attorney Ellie Hathaway feels the need to escape the pressure of trials and a relationship headed nowhere, she finds herself drawn an Amish township she used to visit when she was a little girl.

The last thing Ellie expects is a murder trial and a bail condition in which she is forced to live in a home with her client who has customs – plain customs – she is completely insensitive and unaccustomed to.

There is an assortment of odd characters, from a father who would rather stand by his religion than his own child, to a banned aunt and brother, with no contact to parents and family members. The main character Katie had a baby, which is found dead, and has no recollection of the birth or anytime after.

She has pressure on her to be perfect with both siblings “gone” in one way or another. She fails to uphold expectations by having a baby before wed, but the question still remains, did she murder her baby or was it someone else? Why would she do it? Why would anyone else? And who would have known she was having the baby after hiding her pregnancy?

Amish customs makes for interesting reading material as Katie is put under the “bann” by her family and Amish community, not allowing her to sit at the same table as her family at mealtimes, and other intricate rules.

The down-home, natural feel of the Fisher family farm is a strong contrast to the crisp, cold scenes set in the court room. The differences in traditions and lifestyles – and values – are also apparent.

Throughout her bann, Katie struggles to feel included by the community she has always been a part of. Her fight for reconciliation is key.

In one scene of the story, the Fisher family hosts the regular quilting group in their home. When a young woman’s baby starts fussing, Katie leans over to soothe him, only to be scolded by the baby’s mother and firmly instructed to never touch her child.

Katie runs into a wall of confused feelings, for she has always been a respected baby sitter in the community, but situations don’t always remain as they once were.The book goes through the depths of Ellie trying to adjust to a life that isn’t hers, but one she can learn a great deal from. As she learns more about the family, she gradually discovers the multi-layered secrets within the family, including who the father of the baby was, and how the youngest sister died and why Katie feels guilty for her death, as well as how Katie still surreptitiously visits with both siblings, with some help from her mother.

Some Amish youth have “running around years” before getting baptized, but Katie has never been one of those kids. She has always known that the plain life is her path.

Ellie is the most prominent figure for change in the novel. She went from a high-class, strong, top-dollar attorney to an unappreciated, misunderstood, unwanted distant relative. She finds a way for the family and the community to accept her, while learning to accept them all at the same time. She grows into someone who can look at the big picture, not just her own life’s picture.

Ellie finds love in an unexpected character from her distant past, but who comes into the scene in an unintended way, linked to Katie’s trial. The Fisher family sees through Ellie and discovers her love for the other man even before she realizes it herself, demonstrating their understanding of her against all odds.

Ellie, as Katie’s lawyer, explores a possible disassociated state during the birth of Katie’s baby, and whether or not Katie blocked out her baby’s birth because of possible rape during conception, regret from sexual relations out of wedlock, or something else entirely.

Picoult creates a suspenseful tale of love, punishment, court laws, Amish laws and an unexpected friendship, as well as a new level of understanding for many of the characters.