'Nineteen Minutes'
Picoult writes a tragic, but riveting tale
by DAVID HANNAH Bee Reviewer

A friend and co-worker mentioned author Jodi Picoult to me a while ago, and when I read one of her novels I was totally enthralled.

In her latest blockbuster, "Nineteen Minutes," Picoult writes a story that is not only timely but also compelling. The story involves a central character named Peter Houghton who is a 17-year-old high school student. He is not the best-looking, the most athletic or the smartest individual.

Let's face it: high school is tough for a lot of people. I found myself identifying with Peter because I had trouble fitting in with the "right crowd." I wore Coke-bottle glasses, I wasn't that smart and I was not the best athlete. Peter was picked on by other students for most of his life, and what he does one day changes lives forever.

The story really takes off when Peter goes to his Sterling, New Hampshire, high school one day armed with four deadly weapons and kills 10 people. His rampage lasted 19 minutes. "In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. You can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist. You can fold laundry for a family of five. Or . . . you can bring the world to a screeching halt," according to the prosecutor. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.

What set Peter off, and how the town and survivors deal with the aftermath is vividly told. What Picoult does so amazingly well is tell a story with compassion and feeling. She makes you like the people in this town. They are ordinary people leading ordinary lives until the day tragedy strikes.

What I found to be so talented about Picoult's writing is how she blends the past and present. The characters in this story are shown in different phases of their lives. By doing this, the reader can see how this tragedy occurred, but more importantly how it could have been prev ented.

There were other characters in this book that I found to be interesting and likeable. Josie Cormier was a friend of Peter's for a time, and then they drifted apart. She is a survivor of the shooting, but her boyfriend was not so lucky.

I felt sorry for Josie because of her loss but also because she had an interesting relationship with her mother. Alex Cormier is Josie's mother, and she is also a judge. She has a relationship with the investigator on the case, and it is quite a pleasant one.

Picoult has a zinger of an ending in this moving and readable novel. It will change how you feel about one person, and also make you realize that this ending works well.

Picoult is a superb novelist because her characters are put into realistic situations, and it is how they deal with them that are so interesting. This novel contains rough language and sexual situations.