Josie Cormier Character Analysis in Nineteen Minutes

Peter’s former best friend and the other main character in the novel. Josie is the child of a single mother, Alex, and grows up not knowing her father (Logan Rourke). She is smart and hard-working, and as a child she has a strong sense of right and wrong, which is conveyed by her willingness to stand up to Peter’s bullies. However, as she gets older Josie struggles to handle other people’s perceptions of her and the social pressures to fit in. After befriending one of the popular kids, Courtney, Josie drifts away from Peter. When he behaves in a way that scares and humiliates her, she cuts him off and begins dating a hockey player, Matt. Her relationship with Matt is perceived as ideal, and Josie falls deeply in love with him. However, Matt is also controlling and possessive, and he eventually becomes physically abusive. Josie ends up feeling trapped between her love for Matt (and her knowledge that by dating him, her social position is safe) and her concern over the way he treats her. She feels unable to talk to anyone and even fantasizes about suicide. The reader knows from the beginning of the novel that Josie is in the locker room with Matt when he is killed during the shooting, but in the aftermath she repeatedly insists that she doesn’t remember exactly what happened. However, at the very end of the novel, during Peter’s trial, Josie dramatically confesses to having shot Matt herself. Despite the fact that Josie seemed to have been suffering from PTSD and battered woman syndrome, she is sentenced to five years in prison.

Josie Cormier Quotes in Nineteen Minutes

The Nineteen Minutes quotes below are all either spoken by Josie Cormier or refer to Josie Cormier. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

You don’t stop being a judge just because you step out of the courthouse, her mother used to say. It was why Alex Cormier never drank more than one glass of wine in public; it was why she never yelled or cried. A trial was a stupid word, considering that an attempt was never good enough: you were supposed to toe the line, period. Many of the accomplishments that Josie’s mother was most proud of—Josie’s grades, her looks, her acceptance into the “right” crowd—had not been achieved because Josie wanted them so badly herself, but mostly because she was afraid of falling short of perfect.

Related Characters: Alex Cormier (speaker), Josie Cormier

Page Number and Citation: 9

Explanation and Analysis:

She buried her face in her pillow. She didn’t know what the hell was wrong with her. It was as if, after, there were two Josies—the little girl who kept hoping it might be a nightmare, might never have happened, and the realist who still hurt so badly she lashed out at anyone who got too close.

Related Characters: Josie Cormier

Page Number and Citation: 179

Explanation and Analysis:

Logan Rourke wasn’t her father, not any more than the guy who’d taken their coins at the toll booth or any other stranger. You could share DNA with someone and still have nothing in common with them.

Related Characters: Logan Rourke, Josie Cormier

Page Number and Citation: 221

Explanation and Analysis:

Josie Cormier Character Timeline in Nineteen Minutes

The timeline below shows where the character Josie Cormier appears in Nineteen Minutes. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...is the youngest judge in New Hampshire. She goes into the kitchen where her daughter, Josie, is looking at a textbook. Alex scolds her for drinking coffee, and Josie replies by... (full context)

Josie is “a pretty, popular, straight-A student” who, at least on the outside, seems to be... (full context)

Josie often feels as if her life is a room without doors or windows. Everyone is... (full context)

Josie also can’t talk to Alex, because Alex has the same problem of having to preserve... (full context)

It is March, the first warm day of spring. Josie sits in the Sterling High parking lot and thinks about the fact that soon, she... (full context)

...like a family; however, it also means that no one there can escape the past. Josie is standing in the cafeteria next to Courtney Ignatio, “the alpha female of Sterling High,”... (full context)

The girls at Josie’s table discuss a freshman who was just sent to rehab for doing cocaine. Her dealer... (full context)

...Patrick to help her, and he immediately does so. She tells him her name is Josie, then asks what happened. Patrick picks her up and carries her out of the school. (full context)

...has been posted by the hockey rink. She sees Matt’s name on the list, then Josie’s. She almost drops to the floor, but instead pushes her way through the crowd in... (full context)

At the hospital, Alex has discovered that Josie fainted during the shooting and now has a mild concussion. From the news, she knows... (full context)

...to the medical center and asks a nurse if he can see a girl named Josie, admitting that he doesn’t even know her last name. The nurse points him to Josie’s... (full context)

...the hallway, Patrick feels overwhelmed by horror. Alex comes out and curses him for telling Josie about Matt. Gently, Patrick reminds her that Josie is “one of the lucky ones. Stunned... (full context)

...Joey to look after Peter, but when they get on the bus, Joey abandons him. Josie shouts his name, telling him she saved him a seat. While Peter shows her his... (full context)

While Josie is at her first day of kindergarten, Alex is speaking to a 19-year-old she is... (full context)

...she doesn’t eat meat. At that moment, her secretary calls out to her, saying that Josie’s school has called to say that Josie just “beat the crap out of a boy... (full context)

Alex drives Josie home, eyeing her dirty, torn-up outfit. At home, Josie quietly explains that a boy named... (full context)

...are singled out and bullied by others. In Peter’s case, his sensitivity and attachment to Josie make him an easy target. The teacher assures Lacy that if another kid is ever... (full context)

...him she loves him. She adds that she knows about everything going on with Drew, Josie, and the lunchboxes, and she makes Peter promise her that next time, he will stand... (full context)

...12-person commission that will draw up a shortlist of candidates, she was up late with Josie, who had a nightmare. While she is giving her answers, Logan shows up unexpectedly. Alex... (full context)

...by their children, who explain that they are pretending to be married. They play house; Josie acts out going to work as a judge, while Peter makes dinner. Their teacher comes... (full context)

...after, the fifth-grade boys throw out Peter’s lunchbox yet another time, and Peter sadly tells Josie that he can’t come over for a playdate. Alex is shortlisted for the judgeship and... (full context)

Having been successfully nominated as a judge, Alex is at the Houghtons’ house to pick Josie up from a playdate. After initially being unable to find their children, Alex and Lacy... (full context)

Ever since the gun incident, Alex and Josie can’t stop fighting. During an argument in the grocery store, Josie screams that she hates... (full context)

Josie has been listening closely to discussions in the hospital in order to make a “mental... (full context)

At 7 a.m., Alex enters and, with a “fake smile,” asks if Josie is ready to go. Josie feels annoyed with Alex and her offers of support, which... (full context)

Haley’s parents move away from the door, and Josie catches a glimpse of Haley, who has bandages across her face and whose hair has... (full context)

Having put Josie to bed, Alex briefly watches the news coverage of Peter’s arraignment, before turning it off... (full context)

...gentler, more natural mother. She suggests that they make pancakes, or chocolate chip cookies, and Josie asks if she is “on crack.” Alex then suggests scrabble, but Josie also refuses. (full context)

...for Columbine DVD, and a Sterling High Yearbook. In the yearbook, several faces are circled. Josie’s face has been circled but then crossed out, and the words “LET LIVE” are written... (full context)

...and saying that the students of Sterling High are “all our children.” Back at home, Josie has learned that she can get Alex to leave her alone by announcing that she... (full context)

Josie thinks about how stupid she’d been to think of suicide as a statement and to... (full context)

...Matt’s service, a group of Sterling students attend wearing hockey jerseys with his number, 19. Josie and Alex sit at the back, and Josie wonders if it is possible to grieve... (full context)

Matt’s father asks if Josie is ok, and if she wants to say anything about Matt. Josie starts crying and... (full context)

...Cormier’s door, he is surprised by how young she looks. Frostily, Alex tells him that Josie doesn’t remember anything, but he says he has to speak to her himself. Josie takes... (full context)

Josie tells Patrick that the whole day of the shooting has been blanked out in her... (full context)

...have been cool three years earlier but now “doomed” him to being a social outcast. Josie, whom Peter never sees outside of school but is still his best friend in school,... (full context)

In court, Alex finds herself face-to-face with a defendant barely older than Josie. The girl has been charged with receiving stolen property, a $500 necklace from her boyfriend.... (full context)

Suddenly, Josie’s teacher starts crying and tells the class, “Something terrible has happened.” All the students are... (full context)

...middle school, where they have both come to pick up their kids. When Alex finds Josie, she realizes that she has to pretend to have knowledge and control over the situation,... (full context)

It is Josie’s 12th birthday and, against her wishes, Alex is taking her out for dinner. Josie doesn’t... (full context)

Courtney Ignatio is what Josie calls a “spaghetti-strap girl”; she is the first kid in seventh grade to have a... (full context)

...Dolores starts crying, Peter tells them to stop; the other students simply push him away. Josie also hands Dolores a tampon and goes to stand next to Matt after doing so. (full context)

One day, after waiting for Josie to walk away from “Courtney & Co.,” Peter approaches her, giving her a fright. He... (full context)

Josie waits until Alex is asleep, then sneaks out of bed, just like she once did... (full context)

...like this was “what he would have wanted.” Now, Alex doesn’t know how to handle Josie’s grief. She goes into Josie’s room and tries to get her to go outside, but... (full context)

Josie eventually agrees to go out somewhere with Alex, and the two of them drive to... (full context)

...Mount Lebanon School, a former elementary school that is no longer in use. Alex tells Josie that she doesn’t have to go back yet. Although Josie doesn’t want to go, she... (full context)

Josie snaps at Alex and feels horrified by the two versions of herself that are simultaneously... (full context)

At work, Alex finds herself distracted, obsessively wondering if Josie is ok. She calls an hour-long recess and goes outside to smoke a cigarette. She... (full context)

...jail talking to Peter and fantasizing about dropping the case altogether. He asks Peter about Josie, and why he wrote the words “LET LIVE” next to her yearbook picture. Peter asks... (full context)

Growing up, Josie is the only person she knows who has never met their father. She has always... (full context)

...he was hiring another high school student and shocked when he discovered this student is Josie. (full context)

Josie looks so different now that sometimes Peter fails to recognize her. They haven’t properly spoken... (full context)

Peter asks if Josie has a crush on Matt, which she denies. He then asks what it feels like... (full context)

In Josie’s math class, Mr. McCabe sings and makes jokes. Matt pokes Josie flirtatiously. They are learning... (full context)

Josie tells Peter to never speak to her again. Matt tells Josie that he thinks Peter... (full context)

...Joe Urquhardt. When he arrives, he makes a cringey, vulgar joke, and Alex immediately pulls Josie aside to express her horror. She returns to Joe and tells him that a case... (full context)

...sets fire to the trash inside a metal dumpster. As the fire spits and grows, Josie pulls him away, insisting they call 911. After, Peter admits that he started the fire... (full context)

While waiting for Matt after school, Josie is horrified to find that Peter has approached her. He asks her to say something... (full context)

While they are walking away, Josie hesitantly asks why Matt targets Peter. Matt says Peter started it, and when Josie keeps... (full context)

Josie is in Lincoln, Massachusetts, an affluent suburb of Boston. Matt has driven her there, eager... (full context)

Logan asks Josie her name, and she tells him it’s Margaret. On her way back to the car,... (full context)

On the way back from Logan’s house, Josie breaks down and Matt comforts her. They start making out and touching one another, and... (full context)

...the essay, he wrote about getting fired for setting the dumpster fire, although he left Josie out of it. Mrs. Sandringham says it really seems as if Peter has learned his... (full context)

Courtney, Maddie, Josie, Matt, Drew, and John are watching a “teen sex comedy” at Maddie’s house. Josie and... (full context)

...have to go to court either, but unfortunately this isn’t the case. While she and Josie are lying in bed together before Alex has to leave, Josie asks why Alex never... (full context)

...Logan wouldn’t leave his wife. She then apologizes for the fact that he wasn’t in Josie’s life when she was growing up, although Josie replies, “You did the right thing.” Alex... (full context)

Josie, Emma, Courtney, and Maddie are having a slumber party at Maddie’s house. It is 3... (full context)

...there, leaving him safe. One day, Peter is moving a projector in an elevator when Josie comes in on crutches. The elevator stops, and—realizing it is stuck—Peter presses the emergency button.... (full context)

They ask each other if they hate each other; Peter says he “sometimes” hates Josie, but Josie says she doesn’t hate him back. Prompted by another “Truth” question, Josie admits... (full context)

...she gets to Matt’s cross she starts crying, looking at a picture of him and Josie together. She thinks about how close she came to losing Josie. (full context)

...from the injuries they sustained in the shooting, and with Matt, Courtney, and Maddie dead, Josie’s friend group only consists of Drew, Emma, and Brady. Right now, the four of them... (full context)

...Diana looking so flustered. When Diana asks Alex about her bias considering the fact that Josie was involved in the shooting, Alex calmly points out that there are thousands of students... (full context)

At Mount Lebanon, Josie thinks about the future of the survivors of the shooting, imagining an article in People... (full context)

...and she drives straight to Mount Lebanon, where she asks the school secretary to pull Josie out of class, claiming it is for an orthodontist appointment. When Josie gets in the... (full context)

Josie asks about Peter, wanting to know how he looks and if he will be given... (full context)

Patrick has called Josie to the police station to ask her “a few more questions.” Josie is nervous, and... (full context)

When Josie emerges from her conversation with Patrick in tears, Alex feels furious. Yet when Alex tries... (full context)

...and never did anything about it. During the interview, Derek mentions Peter’s former friendship with Josie. Immediately, Selena excuses herself, calls Jordan, and tells him that Peter and Josie were once... (full context)

...outside for a cigarette, it accidentally hits Patrick. She asks him, “off the record,” if Josie seemed okay when Patrick interviewed her. Patrick replies that, “off the record,” he once investigated... (full context)

Alex is looking for a skirt Josie borrowed and never returned. While searching Josie’s closet, she’s found a “trove of treasures,” mementoes... (full context)

...determine whether Alex will stay on the case. Suddenly, Jordan decides that he will use Josie as a witness, which will both provide crucial support for Peter and force Alex to... (full context)

...she then sees a note on her desk saying that Jordan is planning on calling Josie as witness. Alex is furious, desperate to protect her daughter from the pain this would... (full context)

...that Alex shouldn’t be afraid of being “human.” Alex also confesses that she’s worried about Josie being traumatized by being called as a witness, and she doesn’t know how to support... (full context)

...quote about popularity taken from the handwritten section preceding this chapter; the implication is that Josie has written it in her notebook. There is a knock on Josie’s bedroom door; it’s... (full context)

On Saturday morning, Alex goes back to Jordan’s house, this time with Josie in tow. She suggests that Jordan could ask Josie the questions he wants to know... (full context)

Now that Alex is home all day, she and Josie have started cooking together. At first Josie did this simply because Alex’s culinary skills were... (full context)

...initially speak in a warm, flirtatious manner. However, Alex asks Patrick to describe the state Josie was in when he found her on the day of the shooting. He describes seeing... (full context)

Like all couples, Josie and Matt have a “pattern,” a particular choreography of movement they always follow when they... (full context)

...Peter to tell the girl how he feels. She concludes, “It worked for me.” Meanwhile, Josie and Matt are naked on the floor of her living room, both a little tipsy... (full context)

Peter has decided to send Josie an email confessing his feelings. He writes and rewrites the message, cringing at what he’s... (full context)

That night, Josie can’t sleep. She is panicking over the fact that her period is three days late.... (full context)

In order to save face, Josie forces herself to act casually about the email, calling Peter a “total loser.” She gets... (full context)

Josie rummages around in her bag for an apple, and at that moment Peter speaks to... (full context)

Josie feigns illness so she can stay home from school. After Alex leaves for work, she... (full context)

Matt comes over after school to tend to Josie, who he also believes is sick. He brings her chicken soup and comics, because they... (full context)

Josie has a vivid dream that she is flying. Yet instead of falling to the ground,... (full context)

Once Alex is down in the kitchen, Josie reveals that she knows Patrick stayed over. Alex says she will break up with Patrick... (full context)

Josie is pretending to have a summer job as a volunteer tutor teaching math to elementary... (full context)

Josie is just about to leave the cemetery when she runs into Patrick. He points out... (full context)

Alex has made “barbecued lasagna” for Josie and Patrick, who examine the meal suspiciously. Alex enthusiastically explains that she burned the lasagna,... (full context)

...downstairs, she tells Patrick that she’s going to attend the trial. She asks him why Josie is still alive, how she escaped being shot by Peter. Patrick says there are some... (full context)

...a bulletproof vest this time. He almost asks about it, but then stops himself. Meanwhile, Josie announces that she is going to the trial, too. She knows she won’t be allowed... (full context)

...to one another, but no one really monitors their activity in the courtroom cafeteria, where Josie has been spending most of her time. She is moved to see the way Brady... (full context)

On the witness stand, Drew describes how he, Matt, and Josie headed to the locker room to hide, but that Drew was shot on the way.... (full context)

Lacy is thrown by her encounter with Josie, whom she holds partially responsible for the bullying Peter endured. She is impressed with what... (full context)

...drive home, Alex mentions that in court, the email Peter sent confessing his crush to Josie was read aloud. Josie cringes, reliving the humiliation of the whole episode. Josie worries that... (full context)

...if anyone on the forums has feedback on Hide-n-Shriek. However, instead the email he sent Josie comes up on the screen. Horrified, he tries to close it, but the computer is... (full context)

Although no one knows, Josie once broke up with Matt. They were at a party, and Josie had gone to... (full context)

Josie immediately cycled to Matt’s house, where she found him next to a bottle of Tylenol... (full context)

...horror to Selena that the case is ending this way. In desperation, he proposes calling Josie as a witness. Jordan had previously promised not to call Josie because she didn’t remember... (full context)

When Josie and Alex go to see Jordan, he apologizes for what he’s doing. At this moment... (full context)

That night after Josie falls asleep, Patrick comes over and Alex explains that Josie revealed that Matt shot at... (full context)

...him, but he’s not picking up. Jordan insists on pressing ahead, surprising Diana by calling Josie to the witness stand. Alex squeezes Josie’s hand, telling her everything will be alright as... (full context)

In the locker room, Matt forces Josie to get down on the ground, then positions himself in front of her. He tells... (full context)

Josie instantly runs to Matt, trying to stop the blood gushing from his wound. She demands... (full context)

...piece of surveillance footage. Back in the main narrative, chaos has struck the courtroom following Josie’s shock confession. Judge Wagner calls a fifteen minute recess. Alex’s secretary grabs her, telling her... (full context)

Jordan, meanwhile, tells Peter that if he had been honest about what Josie did from the outset, the trial could have ended very differently. Yet Peter replies, smiling,... (full context)

...their necks, which doesn’t make much sense considering “the threat was always from the inside.” Josie was charged as an accessory to second-degree murder; she accepted a plea of manslaughter and... (full context)

Nineteen Minutes

Josie Cormier Character Analysis

Josie Cormier Quotes in Nineteen Minutes

Part 1, Chapter 1: March 6, 2007 Quotes

Part 1, Chapter 7: Ten Days After Quotes

Part 1, Chapter 8: One Year Before Quotes

Josie Cormier Character Timeline in Nineteen Minutes