'We have a lot of selfish people here': Jodi Picoult on writing in the Covid era

The American author's asthma meant she's been leading a largely isolated life, but she has managed to produce a new novel, set against the backdrop of the pandemic 

Jodi Picoult has just published Wish You Were Here. 

Jodi Picoult is the queen of ethical fiction. Her books have tackled controversial issues ranging from organ donation to teenage suicide, sexual abuse to domestic violence and school shootings.

The American author has never feared tackling hard-hitting subjects head on, and it was her 2004 novel My Sister’s Keeper – about a 13-year-old girl who fights back when told to donate a kidney to her cancer-suffering sister – which first brought her fame in the UK, and spawned a movie adaptation starring Cameron Diaz.