Keeping Faith

Keeping Faith (1999) by Jodi Picoult. A seven-year-old girl (named Faith) suddenly starts seeing an imaginary friend called her "Guard." She later shows the ability to raise the dead and heal the sick. What's going on? Is she really a vessel of God, or is she being manipulated by her mentally ill mother? It's an intriguing premise, but unfortunately Picoult develops it in a clumsy and unbelievable way in this novel. Chiefly lacking are believable characters and motivations. Grade: C+