Review: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Name of book: Nineteen Minutes
Author: Jodi Picoult
Publication: 5th 2007 by Atria Books
Genre: Contemporary Thriller
Source: E-book Owned

Jodi Picoult, bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper and The Tenth Circle, pens her most riveting book yet, with a startling and poignant story about the devastating aftermath of a small-town tragedy. Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens--until the day its complacency is shattered by an act of violence. Josie Cormier, the daughter of the judge sitting on the case, should be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened before her very own eyes--or can she? 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 asks what it means to be different in our society, who has the right to judge someone else, and whether anyone is ever really who they seem to be.

-- My Rating --

-- My Thoughts --

     I have heard so many good things about Jodi Picoult. So, I felt like I had to try some of her books, and this one was in a collection that my friend gifted me, once on Amazon. And all I can say is that: Count me as a HUGE fan of Jodi Picoult. 

     Alex is a great judge, but her job has build a huge wall between her and her daughter, Josie. Lacy lost one of her sons a few years ago, she will not let herself lose her other son, Peter, too. Josie became one of the popular kids, once she started dating Matt, but that's not who she wants to be. Peter has been bullied by the popular kids all his life, he has been thrown into lockers, humiliated, etc... He doesn't think that he can take anymore.
     On March 7, Peter changes the lives of Alex, Lacy, Josie, Matt, and everyone living in Sterling, forever. He loads two pistols and two shotguns, and drives to his high school. In a state of determination, Peter kills 10 of his classmates and teachers and injures 19. 
     When Peter is caught, the trial starts. Patrick is the detective on the case, he has never thought that he will witness something like this happen in Sterling, and he never knew that he might fall in love with the judge, Alex. Jordan is Peter's lawyer, he has nothing that might save Peter from jail, but he still wants to know WHY Peter had done this. Alex is the judge on Peter's case, but her daughter  is one of  the injured, and she is slowly falling in love with the detective, Patrick. Lacy is heartbroken over the lose of yet another son. Matt is dead, but Josie is alive, and she doesn't even remember what happened that day.
     Will Alex be a fair or will her fair for her daughter cloud her judgement? Will Patrick be able to find out the truth about that day? Will Jordan be able to save Peter from a life-long sentence? Will Lacy lose both of her sons? Will Josie ever remember what happened that day? And why has Peter done this? Find out the answer to all those questions when you read this heart-wrenching, realistic to-the-core story, Nineteen Minutes...
     I truly loved this story. I am such a HUGE fan of realistic novels, novels that tell the story of out everyday lives. This was one of them. Jodi Picoult portraits bullying and high school truthfully but perfectly. I liked her writing style a lot.  The plot is very unpredictable (in a good way), and you really get to know the characters. I wanted to know why Peter killed 10 people,  I wanted to know what would happen to Josie, Alex, and Patrick. I craved their happy ending!
     Now, let's talk about the bad side. The book was told in 3rd person. The narrator talked about each of the characters back and forth (he did that. She did that...), but  the focus was on almost 10 characters, which is too much. There weren't any indications of when the focus on main characters changed, one minute I was inside Josie's head, another  minute I was inside Peter's, I got really confused sometimes, and I didn't even know whose thoughts I was reading. Another bad thing, (although, it is not exactly a bad thing) was that the book was really depressing, TOO depressing for my taste. The end was pretty satisfying but not happy.  I didn't cry my eyes out, but I was depressed and sad throughout the whole book.
     Aside from the confusion, this book was very enjoyable and different from the books I have been reading this year. I will recommend this book to Thriller/Suspense fans and Realistic Fiction fans. You better try something from Jodi Picoult or you're missing out!