THE TENTH CIRCLE (Jodi Picoult) - February 19/09

This is a fairly intriguing novel revolving around a 14-year-old who may or may not have been raped (she was) by a star hockey player and the fallout that ensues. Picoult's incredibly meandering style ensures that the book is only sporadically enthralling, as the novelist spends far too much time on details that one couldn't possibly care less about (ie the forensic stuff, the Eskimo backstory of the dad, etc). The needless emphasis on the spiritual Eskimo hokum grows increasingly tedious as the book progresses, with the final 80 pages or so faring quite poorly as a result (the book shifts gears to Alaska after Trixie runs there). **1/2 out of ****