Synopsis
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....In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.
Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens -- until the day its complacency is shattered by a shocking act of violence. In the aftermath, the town's residents must not only seek justice in order to begin healing but also come to terms with the role they played in the tragedy. For them, the lines between truth and fiction, right and wrong, insider and outsider have been obscured forever. Josie Cormier, the teenage daughter of the judge sitting on the case, could be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. And as the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show, destroying the closest of friendships and families.
Nineteen Minutes is New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult's most raw, honest, and important novel yet. Told with the straightforward style for which she has become known, it asks simple questions that have no easy answers: Can your own child become a mystery to you? What does it mean to be different in our society? Is it ever okay for a victim to strike back? And who -- if anyone -- has the right to judge someone else?
My Thoughts
Wow. This one took me a while to get through but I finally completed it.
This is only my second time reading a Jodi Picoult book having previously read My Sister's Keeper during the pandemic. I enjoyed this one more though because of the topic of bullying and the fact that it can indeed lead to trauma like what Peter the main character was going through. Peter represented what many kids go through on a daily basis. As an educator I make it my duty to really disallow bullying of any kind. I liked how this work of fiction by Picoult creatively dealt with the effects of bullying so that a greater appreciation of it's impact could be gained by readers.
What was interesting also was Josie's character. I felt that Josie and Peter both were kindred spirits. While she wanted to fit in with the cool kids like Peter, she often felt insecure and out of place. This book really gave us many characters and relationships to analyze as well. For me Lacy and Alex, the two mothers and their dealing with their children spoke to the fact that many parents really have no idea what their teenagers are like.
The ending though I did not really like too much but overall this was indeed a good book.
No comments:
Post a Comment