I love author Jodi Piccoult. I think that was established when I blogged about "My Sister's Keeper," but her latest book "19 Minutes" left me disappointed and disillusioned with the "namebrand" author, as she refers to herself.
"19 Minutes chronicles the moments of a school shooting that killed 10 people and wounded another 19 students and teachers. The book is graphic in it's carnage. Piccoult's strong imagery allows the reader to see the fear, blood, smoke and carnage that was laid in a small-town school. She chronicles the events leading up to the tipping point in the 17-year-old shooter Peter and as is always Piccoult's style, she throws in a twist at the end that she doesn't think the reader is expecting.
But, Piccoult's writing style in all her famous-ness, has become formulaic. If you've read more than three of her books, you see the romance of the plot written within the first chapter, thought it won't actually develop until half-way through the text. And if you are an insightful reader, you know the twist is coming long before it occurs in the final chapters of the book.
The ending itself was a disappointment. Piccoult doesn't sugar-coat the reality of school bullying and what it means to take a life in revenge. Peter's penalties are real and the end that he takes is selfish and easy - for both the character and the author.
Josie, the book's main character, is poorly drawn and difficult to identify with. Piccoult doesn't draw this character as strongly as she has in past novels and it shows. With glimpses into an abusive relationship as well as elements of a loving home life, it is difficult for the reader to understand where Josie comes from with her feelings. Piccoult needed to give the readers more of Josie, more of herself, to make her plot as vivid as "My Sister's Keeper" and other books like "Keeping Faith."
"19 Minutes" just wasn't worth the hours of reading for me. Sorry Jodi.
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