It is interesting how time flies when you’re hooked in a book’s plot. I am 500 pages into Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes and I can’t put the darn thing down! Picoult takes us on a journey into the mind of a mass murderer. What might interest you, Year 9, is that the killer is around your age. He went on a shooting spree in his high school, killing 10 outright and leaving many more wounded.
It is dark reading. I can’t necessarily tell what’s fact and what’s fiction but one thing’s for sure – this has happened and will likely happen again.
Picoult portrays the killer as a victim in his own right; he was bullied to the max from a young age and his parents had been oblivious to the torment he was facing every minute of every day.
She is not one of my favourite authors (in case you’re interested – ask me why in person and I’ll let you in on a little secret) but I can’t fault the compelling interweaving of the characters’ lives. Is a victim of extreme bullying a walking time bomb? Jodi says yes!
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