Nineteen Minutes

Jodi Picoult

“In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey...more

“In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five. “Nineteen minutes is how long it took the Tennessee Titans to sell out of tickets to the play-offs. It’s the length of a sitcom, minus the commercials. It’s the driving distance from the Vermont border to the town of Sterling, New Hampshire. “In nineteen minutes, you can order a pizza and get it delivered. You can read a story to a child or have your oil changed. You can walk a mile. You can sew a hem. “In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. “In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge” (pg. 5). Jodi Picoult’s fourteenth novel, Nineteen Minutes is a mesmerising 455-page work of contemporary realistic fiction. Peter Houghton has endured the wraths of verbal, psychological, and physical bulling since his first day of kindergarten. The only person Peter ever felt comfortable with, Josie Cormier, eventually gave way to peer pressure, and began hanging out with the ‘cool crowd’. This group often instigates harassment, particularly targeted on Peter. At seventeen, not able to handle the pain anymore, Peter lashes out in a fit of anger, shooting nineteen people in his school. In total, ten were killed. Josie’s boyfriend, Matt Royston, is one of the ten deceased, however an un-answerable question remains: why was Matt shot twice? This intriguing novel has an extremely realistic plot, is full of vibrant characters, and contains a bold theme. Nineteen Minutes is a gripping novel; a definite late-night page-turner for any reader who can handle believable tales about the darker side of real life. In my opinion, the plot of Nineteen Minutes is exceptionally plausible. To modern-day teenagers, being ‘cool’ and fitting in is sometimes the most important objective in their lives. Obtaining the desired social status often results in them giving way to peer pressure, acting in ways and doing things that they would not normally. As depicted in Nineteen Minutes, teenagers, and sometimes adults as well, usually behave in a manner that is not like the true person they really are on the inside. On pages eight and nine, the story is told from Josie’s point of view: “She understood how she was supposed to look and supposed to act. She wore her dark hair long and straight; she dressed in Abercrombie & Fitch; she listened to Dashboard Confessional and Death Cab for Cutie. She liked feeling the eyes of other girls in the school when she sat in the cafeteria borrowing Courtney’s makeup. She liked the way teachers already knew her name on the first day of class. She liked having guys stare at her when she walked down the hall with Matt’s arm around her.”These ‘popular’ crowds seldom mingle with other groups. There is, however, one exception: to bully others who they feel are ‘lower’ than they are. Like Peter in Nineteen Minutes, there is often one particular individual who is singled-out as the person to pursue, and he or she is picked on unremittingly and without any mercy. For example, on Peter’s first day on kindergarten, his mother gave him a brand-new Superman lunchbox. On the bus ride to school, a boy asks Peter if he wants “to see Superman fly” (pg. 66), after which the boy proceeds to throw Peter’s lunch out the window. This aggravation continues every time Peter brings a new lunchbox to school. I have witnessed situations similar to these a countless amount of times in my nine years of school. As depicted in Nineteen Minutes, I have also observed in my own experiences that some bullying victims handle their situation better than others. There are still, however, those who feel that they cannot hold the constant abuse any longer once they reach a certain point. The results are often ill-fated. At times, such as in the circumstances of this powerful novel, the results can even be devastating and catastrophic. Peter shoots nineteen people in a single school-shooting rampage that lasts only nineteen minutes. I believe that Picoult has taken a real situation in our society and made an outstanding work of fiction; I feel that the only separation between this novel’s plot and similar real-life situations are the people and the places.    hide

My first Picoult novel. It is rare that, at base, not much can happen in a book, yet the characters...more

My first Picoult novel. It is rare that, at base, not much can happen in a book, yet the characters are so vivid I cannot stop reading. True, horrific things DO happen in the novel, yet Picoult's characterization skills actually propel it. This is rare in mainstream fiction, and a welcome change. Further, she seems to be a talented writer, with an eye for well-crafted prose. Not surprisingly, her skills with dialog are topnotch. You might find yourself lost in this book simply because a large number of the characters seem quite real, instead of only wanting to know "what happens next." As one might expect, the male characters, however, do not have much depth. Often, the reverse holds true for male authors creating female characters (Wally Lamb is an exception). If she did not want me to feel much for Peter, she succeeded. It became much easier to sympathize with Lacy, but not Peter's father, so much. The bullying was rough, sure, but I find it hard to believe Peter would have acted on that issue alone, no matter how long it went on. Something just seems to be missing, yet I don't know what, so cannot fault the author. I did not find the twist surprising, as there are many clues well before the 200th page as to what will happen. In fact, I figured it out from one sentence, but won't say what page number. It was before p. 200. The twist itself was satisfying, yet, like many, I felt as if Picoult suddenly grew tired of the novel, and ended it ASAP, in an almost sappy manner. Or that her editor/publisher removed the last 30 or 40 pages, and condensed them into 4 or 5. The way in which she leaves one of her deepest characters was quite annoying; almost as if she has a sequel planned. But the overall quality of the book makes up for such flaws. Too many people read to get to the end, but enjoying the world she creates here should be the reader's first priority. One note. Though she was certainly free to write her book as she pleased, I believe she missed an opportunity to try her hand at a little bit of discussion of morality. Not in a preachy way, of course, but there was not a single mention of Peter's actions, in context to our society's (not necessarily religious) code of ethics, and even morality, beyond mere laws. Murder is murder, and is a crime, yes, yet why did he find himself able to end ten lives? We know ONE reason why he chose to do what he did, a response to bullying. But why else? Many of the "real life" Peters seem to have been motivated by the culture of moral relativism around them, within and beyond their schools, in which they believed themselves to not be responsible for their own actions, or accountable to no one but themselves. And, considering the topic Picoult chose to tackle (and did so tastefully), this could have been an interesting, non-biased, deeper element to the book. But, of course, too many "should haves" distract from what is, in the end, a good read. It is rare to come across a bestselling author who puts characters before plot, yet does not bog you down with so much backstory you find yourself not caring. She picked her characters' histories well, and intertwined the past and the present perfectly. A recommended read, and I'll be checking out her other works.    hide

As a first foray into Jodi Picoult's written world, Nineteen Minutes had me literally gripped from...more

As a first foray into Jodi Picoult's written world, Nineteen Minutes had me literally gripped from start to finish. With a plot taken straight from current news headlines, the story focuses on a shooting massacre that takes place at a high school in a quiet North American town. As life’s are shattered, we the reader are juggled through the past and present of all the major characters involved from the young school shooter, Peter Houghton, to the Judge presiding over the case and her daughter Josie (a former friend of the accused) who succumbs to peer pressure and moves away from Peter to circle with the in-crowd at High School. Peter is perpetually tormented by this so called in-crowd making his life at school a living hell. One day in March he simply packs his bags, filled with hand and shot guns, enters the school and takes aim. The story also follows the desperation, disappointment and failure a parent feels when their own child, who they thought they knew, commits such random acts of violence. Though provoking and brutally honest, Nineteen Minutes is a harrowing parable on how well one can really ever know a person.   hide

This was an absolutely heartbreaking book. I felt as though the characters were real, not...more

This was an absolutely heartbreaking book. I felt as though the characters were real, not fictional. I found myself thinking about the situation throughout my day, momentarily forgetting that it wasn't real. I fought back tears while reading the book in public ... but I couldn't stop the wild emotions I experienced ... the story was too real ... too painful ... perhaps because of the frequency of school shootings within our society. Unlike some of Picoult's other novels, the story flowed beautifully. I could predict the ending, and yet that didn't bother me ... I was too involved with the characters to care. The book resembled "We Need To Talk About Kevin" (which I also loved), but had a different focus. It showed that it is our society that needs to change ... we are too disconnected from one another ... too caught up with our own lives to see what's really happening around us. I must admit that I was disappointed with the ending (then again, Picoult seems to have trouble with endings as a whole), but that didn't take away from the huge impact this book had on me. I'll carry this story with me for years to come.   hide

I thought this novel tackled an important issue, but I didn't like the narrative style -the way the...more

I thought this novel tackled an important issue, but I didn't like the narrative style -the way the point of view shifted so often. I like the twist at the end, but I thought it was predictable. I felt Josie's pain when she mourned Matt, and I sypathised for Peter's mother. I was torn between wanting to support Peter, and wanting to punish him. It depended on whose POV I was privvy to. I guess Picoult is showing us that there are always two sides to each story. The topic itself is scary. I am a teacher, so this opened my eyes to a few things about schools and individual students, and I appreciate this from the novel. I always like reading court scenes, and Picoult is great with that, as we know. I think she must be commended on her raw, realistic portrayal of character, and the way she peels the layers of a story and in so doing, she helps us recognise our own shortcomings. Where do your values lie?   hide