Jodi Picoult is a smart writer, no doubt about it. Wish You Were Here starts off strong, with Diana O’Toole heading to the Galápagos solo when her surgeon boyfriend Finn stays behind in New York to deal with COVID. Stranded on Isabela Island with no luggage, no Wi-Fi, and no plan, she finds shelter with a local woman and bonds with a troubled teen named Beatriz and her (very available) dad. Diana begins to rethink her carefully plotted future.
The first half is beautifully written, full of rich detail and emotional weight. The island setting pops, and the early pandemic backdrop is all too real. Picoult’s research shows—whether she’s describing riptides or overwhelmed ICUs, it’s sharp and vivid.
Then comes the twist. And… oof. She leans hard into New Age territory and throws in themes like LGBT identity and political undertones that feel forced. I didn’t mind the soul-searching, but the plot device she uses to get there felt like a cheat.
I get what she was going for—resilience, evolution, finding light in the dark. But for me, it went off the rails. I put off reading this because it was about COVID. Honestly? I wish I hadn’t read it.
Three stars.
** Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a complimentary review copy. The opinions are my own.