Keeping Faith – Jodi Picoult (1999)

Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult, published in 1999, is a powerful blend of domestic drama, legal conflict, and spiritual mystery. Set in New Hampshire, the novel follows Mariah White, a mother battling emotional instability and a crumbling marriage, as her young daughter Faith begins to display miraculous signs and claims to be in contact with God. This deeply provocative story explores the intersection of faith and skepticism through an emotionally charged courtroom drama and media circus that ensues around a child at the heart of an apparent miracle.

Plot Summary

A mother and daughter sit in a quiet New England farmhouse as the sky darkens and the scent of storm-touched soil rises through the windows. The woman’s name is Mariah White, and her life, until now, has been an orderly construct of routines – building dollhouses for clients, grocery shopping on Wednesdays, ballet lessons at one. Her seven-year-old daughter, Faith, bright and imaginative, fills their days with a kind of laughter that once masked the hollowness in their home. But the illusion shatters when Mariah returns early from an errand and finds her husband, Colin, fresh from a shower not taken alone. A woman emerges from their bedroom, wrapped in steam and betrayal.

The discovery unspools Mariah. She crumbles under the weight of humiliation and loss, recalling the first time her heart broke at Colin’s hands – and how that sorrow once nearly claimed her life. But this time is different. There is Faith now. A daughter who, in the days following the betrayal, stops speaking. Not a single word slips from her mouth, even as Mariah tries to coax her back with drawing games, apologies, and the desperate hope that love will be enough.

Faith’s silence stretches on until a visit to the circus changes everything. She is drawn into the wonder of the show, her cheeks painted by a clown, her eyes reflecting the gleam of sequins. Then comes the fall – a misstep, an elephant spooked, and a juggler’s knives that slice across her small back. The hospital is sterile, the stitches sharp, but Faith begins to speak again. Her first word is Mommy.

But Faith’s recovery is strange. She complains that her shirt stings, that the wounds reopen. She begins to hum tunes she’s never heard and recite passages from the Bible despite never having read them. At night, she speaks to someone only she can see – her Guard, a woman in a white nightgown with dark, sad eyes. Faith says she talks to God. Mariah, frightened but unwilling to dismiss her child, watches as Faith heals the wounds of others with a touch and brings a dead grandmother back to life in a hospice room filled with nurses who fall to their knees.

The small town of New Canaan begins to buzz. Whispers of miracles reach beyond the maple-lined streets and into television studios and tabloid headlines. Strangers gather outside the White home – some praying, others jeering. Protesters wave signs while desperate parents beg Mariah to let Faith lay hands on their children. Doctors arrive, then priests, then reporters. Among them is Ian Fletcher, a sardonic, magnetic television host known for his televised crusade against religion. A former theologian turned celebrity atheist, Ian travels the country exposing miracles as hoaxes and dissecting belief like a surgeon wielding a scalpel.

He arrives with cameras and cynicism, expecting a mother exploiting her daughter’s delusions for attention. But the truth is harder to categorize. Mariah is no zealot. She’s just a woman trying to protect her child, even as that child becomes unrecognizable to her. Faith speaks in Aramaic, bleeds from her hands and feet, levitates during seizures, and recounts religious visions with startling conviction. Each time Ian tries to dismiss the events, new evidence confronts him. He tells himself it’s coincidence, collective hysteria, media manipulation – anything but real.

As Faith’s notoriety grows, so does Colin’s discomfort. He resurfaces with a custody suit, claiming Mariah is mentally unstable, dangerous to their daughter. The courtroom becomes a battleground not just of law, but of faith and science, motherhood and miracles. Mariah’s past is dragged into the light – her breakdown, her time in a psychiatric hospital, her once-suicidal grief. Experts testify about mass psychosis. Others call Faith a prophet. And through it all, Mariah sits, heart in her throat, watching the daughter she once feared she couldn’t connect with become the center of a spiritual storm.

Ian, still haunted by the possibility that something sacred might exist, finds himself drawn to Mariah in unexpected ways. She is not what he anticipated – no fanatic, no media puppet, just a woman standing in the eye of a hurricane, trying to shield her child. Their relationship becomes a flickering flame in a house full of uncertainty. Ian finds himself watching Faith with more than skepticism. He watches with fear. And awe.

The judge rules that Faith must be removed from Mariah’s custody for psychiatric observation. In a snowstorm, state officials come to take the girl. But Faith collapses before they can reach her. A seizure grips her small frame, blood soaking the sheets. She is rushed to the hospital, where doctors surround her, helpless, uncertain whether the wounds are self-inflicted or divine.

Mariah and Ian wait together, hand in hand. In those still hours, Ian finally confesses to doubt – not the absence of belief, but the gnawing sense that something beyond logic might exist. Something that cannot be filmed, tested, or debunked. As Faith sleeps, her body quieted by medication, the world beyond the hospital windows continues to ask: is she a messenger, a miracle, or just a little girl who needed a way to keep her family from falling apart?

The judge, shaken by the near-tragedy, reverses the custody decision. Colin fades from the picture, overwhelmed by what he cannot understand. Ian disappears too, not out of fear, but perhaps to wrestle with truths he’s not ready to name. Faith recovers slowly, the miracles fading as quietly as they arrived. She returns to school. The crowds disperse. The news forgets.

Mariah returns to her routines – her dollhouses, her Thursday vacuuming, her quiet dinners. But something in her has shifted, some invisible layer peeled away. She no longer clings to logic to make sense of her life. She no longer fears the things she cannot see. At night, she tucks Faith into bed and listens for the sound of dreams. And though the house is still, she sometimes thinks she hears laughter – soft, delighted, and far, far above her head.

Main Characters

• Mariah White – A meticulous, emotionally fragile woman whose life is upended when she discovers her husband’s infidelity. A former mental patient, Mariah struggles with self-worth and motherhood, but evolves into a fiercely protective figure when her daughter becomes the center of supernatural events. Her inner transformation from victimhood to resilience anchors the novel.

• Faith White – Mariah’s precocious seven-year-old daughter, who begins having visions of a divine “Guard” following the trauma of her parents’ divorce. Faith exhibits unexplained healing powers and stigmata, drawing national attention and scrutiny. Her innocence and spiritual insight become the heart of the story’s exploration of belief and wonder.

• Ian Fletcher – A charismatic television personality and outspoken atheist whose mission is to debunk miracles. Initially set on disproving Faith’s visions, Ian undergoes a subtle, unexpected change as he confronts truths that challenge his worldview. His complicated relationship with Mariah adds emotional complexity to the story.

• Millie Epstein – Mariah’s mother, brash and practical, who offers both comic relief and emotional support. She serves as a stabilizing presence in Mariah and Faith’s lives, helping them navigate crisis with her blunt wisdom and unshakable love.

• Colin White – Mariah’s estranged husband, whose betrayal and subsequent custody battle over Faith trigger the novel’s central conflict. His actions serve as a foil to Mariah’s development and reflect the themes of abandonment and emotional recklessness.

Theme

• Faith vs. Skepticism: The novel’s title serves as a central metaphor, exploring both religious faith and the fragile trust between people. Through the character of Ian Fletcher and the miraculous events surrounding Faith, Picoult presents a deeply nuanced debate about belief in the divine, juxtaposing science and spirituality.

• Motherhood and Protection: Mariah’s evolution from a self-doubting woman into a fiercely devoted mother showcases the theme of maternal instinct as a form of redemption and strength. Her bond with Faith becomes a force that transcends her past traumas.

• Media and Exploitation: Faith’s visions spark a frenzy of attention, turning her into a national spectacle. Picoult critiques the way media manipulates tragedy and faith for entertainment, raising questions about privacy, truth, and sensationalism.

• Healing and Suffering: Physical and emotional healing weave throughout the novel – from Faith’s miraculous cures to Mariah’s slow emotional recovery. These elements underscore the connection between pain, belief, and personal growth.

• Isolation and Connection: Each character grapples with loneliness, whether through failed relationships or ideological convictions. The narrative explores how crises can fracture or forge new connections, pushing characters into unexpected alliances or deeper introspection.

Writing Style and Tone

Jodi Picoult’s prose in Keeping Faith is emotionally intimate and richly layered, capturing the inner lives of her characters with remarkable sensitivity. Her writing blends lyrical introspection with sharp dialogue, alternating between tenderness and tension. She often employs a close third-person narrative that shifts perspectives, allowing readers to experience the unfolding drama through various emotional and ideological lenses. This technique deepens the psychological resonance and provides a balanced view of the contentious issues at play.

The tone oscillates between contemplative, suspenseful, and poignant. Picoult deftly crafts a tone that reflects the story’s dual nature – at once a domestic drama of a woman rebuilding her life and a provocative exploration of miracles and media. Her use of metaphor, especially surrounding religious and maternal imagery, enriches the text with symbolic depth. The emotional tone is intimate and immersive, drawing readers into moral ambiguities and heartfelt dilemmas that resist simple resolution.