by Ian McEwan, 2014, Penguin Random House, New York

This book is about a woman judge in England who must rule whether a young boy should be forced to undergo a blood transfusion to save his life, despite the religious objections of his parents and the boy himself.  The state argues that the boy has been brainwashed by his religious teaching and his parents.  The parents and the boy argue otherwise.

The author focuses on the anguish that the judge undergoes in making a decision, but the book is also about her as a person and how wrapped up she is in her work and career.  It makes for an interesting scenario, but, unfortunately, the ending of the book seems very incomplete.  I enjoyed reading it but it left me feeling very unfulfilled.