Wish You Were Here

A Novel

By: Jodi Picoult

Narrated by: Marin Ireland

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Small Great Things and The Book of Two Ways comes “a powerfully evocative story of resilience and the triumph of the human spirit” (Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six)

Look for Jodi Picoult’s new novel, By Any Other Name, available August 20!

Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel they’d booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, the whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

In the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.

Critic reviews

“Stealthily surprising and very moving . . . absolutely a must-read.”—Booklist (starred review)

“A satisfying and thought-provoking narrative.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Jodi Picoult once again proves she is the master of wading through the darkness to find the light.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising

“Wish You Were Here is a transporting and transcendent novel about seeking out glimmers of light in the darkness, and following them wherever they lead. Jodi Picoult is that rare, one-in-a-million writer whose books both squeeze your heart and expand your mind. Her latest is wise, surprising, and utterly extraordinary.”⁠—Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read

“In Wish You Were Here, Jodi Picoult does something brilliant, cracking open something extraordinary. I am just overwhelmed by this book. I actually finished it at three in the morning and started reading it again.”⁠—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You

Ignore the negatives…sigh

What a beautiful book! Now I’m not going to do a synopsis I’m going to counter the untruths that have been told here.
Trump is mentioned ONE TIME. Its barely even negative it is not integral part of the book but a passing comment that’s all.
There is no angry-Trump agenda in this book so please do not believe the lies.
Second, there is a gay person that exists in the story ( gasp) just as they exist in real life. apparently that makes the book “ liberal agenda” How dare they be included in a story! That’s literally the level of hate being shown. Sigh… the reviews that are hating this book are pure hatred and it’s tragic that we have diminished artists and forced them to choose or be sabotaged.
Audible probably won’t publish this but it is incredibly dishonest and unfair to an author to not be truthful about the contents of their book. I am countering the hatred toward the author which i should be allowed to do.
Please do not let this hateful politically sensitive reviewers ruin a great read.
Congrats to Jodi for including so much information that i learned a lot and i thought i already knew it all. lol. I learned so much about the Galapagos Islands and I also learned much medical info I thought I knew and just how horrible these almost two years have been. The suffering that has been made political, been mocked even, the medical people that have been treated like trash for saving lives.
I’m ashamed as I read these hateful opinions of what we have become. I’m ashamed when I read mean nasty reviews from ppl who think they are actually moral ppl. I’m deeply ashamed that we have grown into a culture of anti-truth anti -science and anti- kindness.
This book is full of kindness and heart. I’m sorry that kindness is now political but that’s where we are.
We’ve lost our way. I want to think books like this remind us that we have heart and souls not just political ideologies. I want to think we are more than how we vote. Apparently not too some people.
I loved every minute of it and think this is Ms. Piccolt’s best work. It was well researched and if the truth offends then maybe they should think hard about who they have become as human beings.
For those that simply didn’t like the book that’s your right …a book is subjective art after all. But, if you came here just to sabotage an author you have already lost your morality, your soul and truth no longer matters to you.

A MUST READ

This book was spectacular. It tackles a very controversial subject and I found myself saying YES!! While I still see a lot of people not wanting to get the shot for reasons that are just incomprehensible, it is refreshing to have someone understand the way I feel. I am a protector and value the people who are around me…why would I not get the vaccine. Great job Jodi. Beautiful story♥️♥️♥️

great!

This was totally different than I thought great book, easy to listen too! I give it a A!

Great story, disappointing ending.

The story line was great with a wonderful twist in in the middle but then the ending wasn’t even there! Very disappointed in where the story “stops”.

Reading Wish you Were Here is a living experience!

A life long fan of Jodi Picoult’s work, I knew that I would learn something from reading this book. Her research is of the highest quality and while part of any story, it can stand alone in its worth. That she was able to convey the Covid experience “up close and personal”, gave me a much better acknowledgement of the horrors of Covid as it was experienced by the very sickest patients and those who cared for them. I will never forget this book, as I will never forget my, thankfully, limited experience with Covid. Thank you, Ms Picoult for writing such a lovely story, as well as one so historical in detail.