by Marie Mengel

Created on: July 28, 2009

Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes is by far my favorite novel that I read thus far from this author. She never ceases to amaze me at the amount of research that she puts into most of her novels and the different angles she does not hesitate to write about.

This book is a necessity to read, in my opinion, and one that I think in the near future could be read and discussed in classrooms.

This novel takes place in Sterling, New Hampshire and surrounds itself around teenagers. Picoult dives head first into causes of a school shooting involving a seventeen year old boy and writes with emotion about the ripple effects this tragedy has on personal emotions, the educational system, and a community. Once again, Picoult writes about a sensitive and controversial issue and somehow manages to persuade the reader to not take sides. Even more intriguing is her ability to develop characters that are easy to become attached to and are relevant enough to hold the same characteristics we find in ourselves or someone we know. I found my emotions to range from deep sadness to exhaustion, fearful but helpless, and full of anger and sympathy.

Brilliant, honest, and believable - Picoult writes furiously throughout this novel on aspects that most people fear to even discuss. Writing from the victims perspective, outside teenagers perspective, the villain's perspective, a mother's perspective, administration perspective, media perspective, and law enforcement - Picoult doesn't leave much unattended. This story pulls on the heartstrings, leaves you breathless and afraid, and even gives the reader a chance to become empathetic. Picoult not only invests time in the teenager's perspective, but also of that of various adults. Even more interesting, is one particular character is explored in another one of her novels.

It is easy to see that this topic is very real, very relevant, brutally sensitive - and Picoult remains true to those aspects. I wonder how long this novel weighed on her conscious and how difficult it was to write, because the topic is something our nation has seen. It's so haunting that it triggers insomnia and makes the reader WANT to turn back the pages and change the outcome. She is definitely on the top of her game with this one, because she wrote a book for teenagers and adults that will keep them talking for days - which is the most important aspect of this novel.

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