A Review of Jodi Piccoult's Nineteen Minutes
One Act of Violence With Epic Consequences
Nineteen Minutes is a fascinating tale about a teenage act of violence that spirals out of control. This time, in the hot seat is Peter, a teenage boy lost in the confusion of high school and the hatred of his classmates.
The Central Character
Peter has gone through years of bullying that finally pushes him over the edge. One morning he races through the halls of his school shooting at anything and anyone that gets in his way. The violent act takes only nineteen minutes but has earth-shattering consequences not only for those students and teachers he killed and injured, but also for his family and his community. Through the story readers come to know Peter and his motives, which, although certainly not justified, can be understood.
The Additional Players
Although Nineteen Minutes examines Peter’s act of violence, the main story centers around Josie Cromier, a popular student; her mother, Alex, who also happens to be the judge of the case against Peter; Jordan, Peter’s defense attorney; Patrick, a cop on the case; and Peter’s dedicated and heartbroken mother, Lacy Houghton. The story takes place in a small town in New Hampshire and thus all the characters are interconnected through various chance encounters.
Nineteen Minutes is All it Takes…
The story weaves in and out of the trial, the events that took place during those 19 minutes and Peter’s upbringing where we learn that Josie and Peter were best friends before Josie began dating one of the popular boys in school. We also learn that Alex and Lacy are best friends and various other hidden secrets from the past. Things get even more complicated when Josie is asked to testify in court about what happened that day. After all, she was one of the only people in the school that actually saw Peter do it.
The Reality of Nineteen Minutes
Nineteen Minutes, like many of Jodi Piccoult’s dramatic narratives, looks not only at the situation at hand, but also at the situation in general. There are obvious connections between Nineteen Minutes and the shooting at Columbine. However, Nineteen Minutes looks at all sides of the story – the incessant bullying that led to the tragedy, the school structure in general, the signs and signals and teeny little events that all add up in the end. It is the attention to these small details that make Nineteen Minutes so incredibly powerful.
In the end, as always, there is a twist that most readers will find odd but also fitting. The tale will send chills down the spine and leave readers questioning their own lives and those around them.
Nineteen Minutes is a Lifetime
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