Book Review | Book Chatter

Nineteen Minutes
By Jodi Picoult
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group Pub.
Date: February 2008
480pp

Here’s a bit from the book:

“In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five…. In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.”

Were you ever picked on as a child? In the 2nd grade, there was a 6th grade boy that made my life a living hell. I’m not sure why he felt the need to do it, but I remember walking to school, not knowing if I was ever going to make it to school in one piece. The school day was no better. I’d be out on the playground only to be punched in the stomach or pushed to the ground. The aides didn’t seem to care what happened to me. Everyone has their limits though and when I hit mine, the end result was a 6th grade boy, bawling his head off with two broken teeth in his mouth. Yep, I decked him! Now, I am not a fan of violence but it sure felt good.

This story is like that but on a much bigger scale. Peter and Josie are childhood friends. Peter is teased mercilessly throughout his formative years. Josie eventually gives in to peer pressure and begins to hang out with the same kids that have it in for Peter. Since Josie is really the only close friend that Peter has, this hurts him deeply. After a particularly cruel prank leaves him completely raw and exposed, he takes exactly nineteen minutes to end the hurt for good.

My Thoughts:

This is my first experience with a Picoult novel. At first, I was a bit distracted with the flashbacks and flash forwards. They were necessary to tell the story, but I am just not a big fan of a lot of flashbacks. However, I do feel that in the end, they worked well.

I had a hard time liking the characters, but I’m not sure Picoult wanted me to like them per se. They were flawed, the parents included, but very realistically drawn. I didn’t have any issues with believability. I did feel sorry for Peter, even with what he did in the end. I identified with his pain but my frustration mounted as adult after adult chose to look the other way.

This is an incredibly sad story of a child who fell through the cracks. It’s a story that stays with you and although my kids have not hit the tweens quite yet, it has made me think about the upcoming teen years and what I can do as a parent to be there for my kids. Not just in the room, but present and involved in their lives without forcing myself upon them.

After reading this one, I am looking forward to reading some of Picoult’s other novels. My book group is meeting on Thursday to discuss this one but I may not be able to make it due to Open House at the school. I know there will be a lot to discuss so I am crossing my fingers that I can do both.

Drood
Dan Simmons
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Pub. Date: February 2009
ISBN-13: 9780316007023

784pp

Here is the blurb from Barnes and Noble:

“Bestseller Simmons (The Terror) brilliantly imagines a terrifying sequence of events as the inspiration for Dickens’s last, uncompleted novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, in this unsettling and complex thriller. In the course of narrowly escaping death in an 1865 train wreck and trying to rescue fellow passengers, Dickens encounters a ghoulish figure named Drood, who had apparently been traveling in a coffin. Along with his real-life novelist friend Wilkie Collins, who narrates the tale, Dickens pursues the elusive Drood, an effort that leads the pair to a nightmarish world beneath London’s streets. Collins begins to wonder whether the object of their quest, if indeed the man exists, is merely a cover for his colleague’s own murderous inclinations.”

My thoughts:

As wonderful as the premise is, this is really the story of a man, Wilkie Collins who finds himself completely infatuated by another man, that man being Charles Dickens. Infatuated, yet envious of all he does and has. As readers know, Wilkie Collins was also a well known author during this time (1850-1889). He wrote The Woman in White, The Moonstone and many plays and short stories. His envy slowly turns to hatred and in a matter of years his good friend becomes his enemy. However, as much as Wilkie has grown to dislike Dickens, he still feels privileged to be in his presence and has hurt feelings when he is not asked to be a part of Dicken’s life. It’s that “best friend” syndrome that some of us face when our BFF is more popular than we are.

I enjoyed the rivalry. Simmons did a good job of portraying Wilkie as a talented sort, but one that clearly believes that his work tops that of Dickens. There are a lot of asides to the reader where Wilkie talks directly to us as he is telling his tale. Personally, I enjoyed these little tidbits of information. It was sort of like a flashing neon sign asking the reader to pay attention and pay attention I did, as the book is over 750 pages long and I didn’t want to miss a key piece of information.

As we learn about Wilkie’s drug addiction and his and Dicken’s quest to find Drood, we are introduced to a world that is called Undertown. This is a world that exists under the streets of London and is inhabited by the poor, the unwanted and a drug lord that happens to provide the fix that Wilkie needs to survive. The world that Simmons creates is full of crypts and unimaginable smells and I loved all of its disgusting goodness. However, I didn’t think there was enough of it. I was left wanting a bit more.

As they continue to search for Drood, the reader is left to ponder what is real, and what is fiction. Much of the book is based on historical fact but since The Mystery of Edwin Drood was never actually finished, there is a lot that can be surmised. Add to that Wilkie’s opium addiction and Dickens’ ability to mesmerize (hypnotize) and what you’ve got is one big question mark.
There are lots of different ways to interpret the ending of this book. I have my own thoughts on it, but I would love to discuss this book with others who have read it.

As for the writing, Simmons can tell a story. One of the reasons why it took me so long to read this book is that I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style and was in fact savoring it. With that said, I do feel that it was a tad too long. The part that immediately comes to mind is when Dickens travels to the States. There seemed to be a lot of information on his trip that I personally, didn’t think was necessary to tell this particular story. I was also a bit overwhelmed with the various female characters. They didn’t seem to evolve during the course of the story and it would have been nice to see a slightly different side to them.

It’s not necessary for you to have read the works of Dickens or Collins prior to reading Drood but it might help since there are references made to prior works. In comparison to another Simmons book that I read recently (The Terror), Drood was not as tightly woven but still an adventure worth taking.

To read more about Dan Simmons, click here.
To read my review of The Terror, click here.

The book was sent to me by the lovely Miriam over at Hachette Book Group. Thanks Miriam!