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A review by aejohnson85
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
4.0
This is the first time I've read one of Jodi Picoult's novels, though many friends have recommended her in the past. I'm not sure why I chose to pick this one up but in many ways, I'm glad I did, though I feel haunted by the issues presented.
Nineteen Minutes begins on March 6, 2007 in small-town Sterling, New Hampshire. The day begins as every other for most - they have no idea this is the day that will change their lives forever. This is the day that perpetually bullied student Peter Houghton chooses to end the torment he suffers at Sterling High every day - he brings a gun to school and systematically kills ten students and injures nineteen others all in the short time frame of nineteen minutes. Local police officer Patrick Ducharme is the first on scene and takes Peter into custody in the school's locker room where he is found with jock Matt Royston and his girlfriend, Josie Cormier, who is still alive. Josie claims she can't remember anything about the morning, including why her boyfriend had been shot twice unlike all the other victims.
The rest of the novel cycles between the past and the present. The past aims to frame Peter's life and show the reader how he eventually broke - while I do not agree with his endgame, as in my opinion, violence is NEVER the answer, I found myself beginning to feel for Peter. NOBODY deserves to be bullied the way he was - starting on his first day of kindergarten where his new Superman lunch box was tossed out the window of the school bus and continuing on into high school where his private declaration of love to Josie was emailed to the entire school...Picoult's strength in this novel is making the reader feel empathy for Peter despite knowing what he will eventually do. Peter lives on the edge of society - never quite fitting in with his classmates (except Josie) or his family, where he is constantly compared to his "perfect" older brother Joey. His one true friend, Josie, ditches him in grade 6 when she feels that it is more important to be popular.
There is A LOT going on in this story, with many different perspectives being told - Patrick, Josie, Peter, Alex (Josie's judge mother), Lacy and Lewis (Peter's broken parents), and Jordan (Peter's defence lawyer).
The present section of the book deals with Patrick's investigation into the shooting, Alex's struggle with being a judge on this case and being a good mother to her broken daughter. Lacy's struggle to figure out what she had done wrong as a parent - was it her fault? And how can she continue to love the son who committed this atrocity? Jordan works to put together the best defense possible for Peter who has admitted to the shootings. Josie, who claims to remember nothing about the shooting struggles with the loss of her boyfriend and best friend while still terrified. It all culminates with Peter's trial. We get a glimpse of the lives of those who were shot but still live - from those who physically healed but emotionally never will, to those who are paralyzed.
This book has stuck with me since finishing it earlier today, and I'm sure it will indefinitely as a teacher. If someone had paid attention to Peter's cry for help - his teachers who looked the other way, his parents who tried to "toughen" him up - then this tragedy would never have happened. I don't understand how anyone can get to the point that Peter got to in this book, but it was horrifying, depressing and heartbreaking to read. Picoult gives a voice to the accused parents - someone who we often don't think of in situations like this...we are generally focused on the victims and their families. Yet Picoult points out in the novel that Peter's family are victims as well - they too lost someone they loved...someone whom they trusted and didn't believe could be capable of such evil.
What really stuck with me is that things are never black or white. The "good" guy is not always who he seems and vice versa for the "bad" guy. And the overarching theme - be nice to people. Think about how your actions and reactions affect others. Stand up for who and what you believe in...don't live a life of regret...
And yes, the "twist" at the end of the novel was quite evident early on, even for a first time Picoult reader like myself, and I do have to admit that I wasn't satisfied with the ending (which is why I took a star off of the rating)...but I'm not sure how there ever could be a truly "good" ending to this book. There is no real way to tie up these kinds of issues with a nice bow...
Nineteen Minutes begins on March 6, 2007 in small-town Sterling, New Hampshire. The day begins as every other for most - they have no idea this is the day that will change their lives forever. This is the day that perpetually bullied student Peter Houghton chooses to end the torment he suffers at Sterling High every day - he brings a gun to school and systematically kills ten students and injures nineteen others all in the short time frame of nineteen minutes. Local police officer Patrick Ducharme is the first on scene and takes Peter into custody in the school's locker room where he is found with jock Matt Royston and his girlfriend, Josie Cormier, who is still alive. Josie claims she can't remember anything about the morning, including why her boyfriend had been shot twice unlike all the other victims.
The rest of the novel cycles between the past and the present. The past aims to frame Peter's life and show the reader how he eventually broke - while I do not agree with his endgame, as in my opinion, violence is NEVER the answer, I found myself beginning to feel for Peter. NOBODY deserves to be bullied the way he was - starting on his first day of kindergarten where his new Superman lunch box was tossed out the window of the school bus and continuing on into high school where his private declaration of love to Josie was emailed to the entire school...Picoult's strength in this novel is making the reader feel empathy for Peter despite knowing what he will eventually do. Peter lives on the edge of society - never quite fitting in with his classmates (except Josie) or his family, where he is constantly compared to his "perfect" older brother Joey. His one true friend, Josie, ditches him in grade 6 when she feels that it is more important to be popular.
There is A LOT going on in this story, with many different perspectives being told - Patrick, Josie, Peter, Alex (Josie's judge mother), Lacy and Lewis (Peter's broken parents), and Jordan (Peter's defence lawyer).
The present section of the book deals with Patrick's investigation into the shooting, Alex's struggle with being a judge on this case and being a good mother to her broken daughter. Lacy's struggle to figure out what she had done wrong as a parent - was it her fault? And how can she continue to love the son who committed this atrocity? Jordan works to put together the best defense possible for Peter who has admitted to the shootings. Josie, who claims to remember nothing about the shooting struggles with the loss of her boyfriend and best friend while still terrified. It all culminates with Peter's trial. We get a glimpse of the lives of those who were shot but still live - from those who physically healed but emotionally never will, to those who are paralyzed.
This book has stuck with me since finishing it earlier today, and I'm sure it will indefinitely as a teacher. If someone had paid attention to Peter's cry for help - his teachers who looked the other way, his parents who tried to "toughen" him up - then this tragedy would never have happened. I don't understand how anyone can get to the point that Peter got to in this book, but it was horrifying, depressing and heartbreaking to read. Picoult gives a voice to the accused parents - someone who we often don't think of in situations like this...we are generally focused on the victims and their families. Yet Picoult points out in the novel that Peter's family are victims as well - they too lost someone they loved...someone whom they trusted and didn't believe could be capable of such evil.
What really stuck with me is that things are never black or white. The "good" guy is not always who he seems and vice versa for the "bad" guy. And the overarching theme - be nice to people. Think about how your actions and reactions affect others. Stand up for who and what you believe in...don't live a life of regret...
And yes, the "twist" at the end of the novel was quite evident early on, even for a first time Picoult reader like myself, and I do have to admit that I wasn't satisfied with the ending (which is why I took a star off of the rating)...but I'm not sure how there ever could be a truly "good" ending to this book. There is no real way to tie up these kinds of issues with a nice bow...