Plot-
I think the plot is a very good author's craft because of all the plot twist. A few good plot twists that Picoult included in the book are that Alex and Lacy used to be best friends, and that Peter and Josie used to best friends. Also, another good one is that Matt can get abusive towards Josie, and that Josie ends up shooting Matt before Peter can even do it. The biggest plot twist throughout the whole book is when Josie admits to shooting Matt in the stomach, and then Peter shooting him in the head. "Don't tell," Peter whispered, and Josie realized he was offering her a way out-a deal sealed in blood, a partnership of silence: I won't share you secrets, if you don't share mine." This is a good quote as to why Josie didn't tell anyone her secret until 5 months later, and why Peter never told anyone her secret. This is the biggest plot twist because there was no sign of Josie taking part in Peter's killing spree. One quote on the Praise for Jodi Picoult page is "Adept character development and intelligent plot twists... Nineteen Minutes is both a page-turner and a thoughtful exploration of popularity, and the social ruts that can define us in ways we may not wish to be defined."- Rocky Mountain News. This is a good quote because it has a reporter saying it has a good plot twist, and also it has good character development. At the end of the book, in A Conversation with Jodi Picoult, a interviewer asked Jodi "Did you have the surprise ending in mind when you began writing Nineteen Minutes, or did it evolve later in the process?" Picoult answered, "As with all my books, I knew the ending before I wrote the first word" . This quote relates well with the book because it shows that Picoult had the ending in her mind the whole time, and she knew it would have an amazing plot twist. Also, it shows that Picoult wanted a surprise ending, and based the quote on that huge plot twist.
Point of View-
Point of view is something very important to the structure of Nineteen Minutes. The book is set up in a 3rd person point of view, this way the reader is able to see how things are happening from an on goers point of view "A brilliantly told tale, one that dares remind us that someone loved the killer too" -People (Critic's Choice. 4 star) By writing her book in third person, Picoult allows her audience to take the journey of Peter & Josie's stories with them instead of as them which was perhaps a very wise choice. The lessons and themes come across more clearly than they could have if the book was set in Peter or Josie's point of view. "The author's insights into her characters' deep-seated emotions bring this ripped-from-the-headlines read chillingly alive" -Publishers Weekly. Nineteen Minutes would be set up extremely differently if written in a different point of view. For example, if the book was written in Josie's point of view, there would have been a different structure to the book. The plot would have been changed some in order to make the book still have a twist in it, there would be more background information on her past friendships with Peter and more of her current involvement with Matt. By putting the book into 3rd person, it allows the reader to shift opinions freely about Peter, Josie, Alex, Lacy & Patrick. Picoult also tries to stay unbiased throughout the book so that the reader is free to think about Peter and Josie freely, she doesn't shift the reader’s opinion to favor certain characters of another. "The world Picoult creates for her characters resonate with authenticity, and the people who inhabit them are so engaging" –People
Word Choice
The author's word choice helps make this book more interesting and exciting. It helps the reader know exactly how the characters are feeling, even if they do not say it out loud. The book has many examples of this with Josie. Most of the time Josie doesn't let people know how she really feels about something. The author's words when describing the actions of the characters fills in the holes that are let from words unsaid. "She was caught up in a world far away from home, where at that very moment her daughter scraped the scrambled eggs from the skillet into the trash can without ever taking a single bite." This example of the author's word choice helps show the relationship between Josie and Alex. Although they both won't admit it out loud, they both know that they do not have a close relationship and that both of them are only pretending to play the roles of mother and daughter. "She understood how she was supposed to look and supposed to act." This is another example of how Josie is only playing the role of Josie. She doesn't feel that she is really living her life. This information may have been lost if that author did not word it like she did. Another example is when Josie almost lets herself show her true colors in a very small way. "He pinched thee side of her waist, a caliper and criticism all at once. Josie looked down at the fries. Ten seconds ago, they'd looked golden brown and smelled like heaven; now all she could see was the grease that stained the paper plate." She orders french fries at lunch, even though she knows they don't fit what she thinks she needs to get for lunch. She tries to justify to Matt why she got them but his small gesture ruined all her hope that she could follow through with being who she really is.