The morning of March 6, 2007 was peaceful and calm in the quiet little town of Sterling, New Hampshire. That is, until Peter Houghton walked into the high school and opened fire on fellow students and teachers, killing 10 and wounding 19 others. A shattered and grieving town slowly begins to pick up the pieces. Alex Cormier is one parent who counts herself lucky that her daughter Josie survived the incident with merely a scratch. Alex is also the sitting superior court judge for the district, and plans to preside over Peter Houghton's trial. Since Josie was not injured, her objectivity will not be an issue. But, as the investigation and trial discovery continues, surprising things come to light about Josie's involvement with Peter Houghton in the past.
What I really love about Picoult's novels is the way she takes an issue with simplified cultural stereotypes (i.e. school shooters are always kids with severe emotional problems and neglectful parents) and broadens them, helping the reader to think more deeply about these issues. Can the responsibility for incidents like these be placed solely on the shooter and his parents? Or on school officials? What about the parents of the victims, who looked the other way when their kids were viciously bullying this boy from kindergarten on? School bullying was a big theme in this novel, and Picoult shows how, particularly in a small town, kids can get stuck with an identity others put on them from a very early age, and feel trapped. I know if I hear of another school shooting in the media (and, unfortunately, I'm sure that's a "when" not an "if"), this novel will remind me that the issues and causes go so much deeper than any soundbite we're going to hear on TV.
Sojourner
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