Caution: Mentions of gun violence and murder ahead!
Introduction:
Long Way Down is a novel written by author Jason Reynolds. It was published in October, 24, 2017. What makes this book so different from others is the fact that it is written in verse. This means that each page is written almost like a poem! The plot of the book is centered around the main character, Will. His brother Shawn has been killed in a shootout and determines to seek revenge for his brother.
The Rules:
The rules in the neighbourhood where Will lives consists of no crying (1), no snitching (2), and always take revenge (3). The rules are crucial in this story as they drive the choices made by the main character, Will.
Summary:
During one normal afternoon, Will’s brother Shawn is shot in cold blood in the middle of a basketball court. Devasted, Will goes home and searches in Shawn’s secret drawer that he never allowed Will to go into. In there, he finds multiple prized possessions of Shawn’s and most importantly, finds a gun. Will contemplates what to do with the gun and with some guessing, he comes up with the theory that a kid named “Riggs” committed the dirty deed. He comes up with a plan to kill Riggs and leaves his apartment building.
When he goes to the elevator to go down to the lobby, he is met for a long way down. Throughout his ride on the elevator, he is met by a ghost of a dead friend or relative on each floor. Each of the ghosts who go on the elevator have all been victims of gun violence and the rules. The ghosts who hop on the elevator consist of: Buck, Dani, Will’s uncle, Will’s father, Buck’s killer, and Shawn, in this order. Buck, Dani, Will’s uncle, Will’s father, and Buck’s killer, are a group of side characters with no huge role in the story. The role that the ghosts take in this story is to convince Will to not follow the path of gun violence and the reconsider his choices. Some causes for the deaths of some ghosts also help convince Will. An example of this can be shown with Will’s father and Will’s uncle. Will’s uncle loses a camera which he uses to take all of his valuable pictures with family, and decides to get money for a new one. He does this by earning some money illegally and eventually, a person wanting to steal his business, shoots him. Will’s father is furious and decides to track the person down and kill him, shooting him dead in the street 3 times. Only after the killing, does he understand that he killed the wrong person. The death of Will’s uncle can teach Will that he could be getting the wrong person, since he has no hard evidence Riggs did it.
Ending
While nearing the end of the book, Shawn comes on the last floor of the elevator. Will begs Shawn to know if he is doing the right thing and breaks the first rule doing so, no crying. Shawn begins to cry, though his eyes still look dead. Shawn refuses to say a word to Will during this time. The elevator finally stops at the lobby and everybody rushes out, Shawn stays back though, and asks Will. YOU COMING?
Significance
The meaning behind the last words of the book is that Shawn is asking Will if he will choose the path of gun violence and join the dead. Hence, him asking if Will is going to come with them.
Conclusion
Overall, this book was a very dramatic read and I really enjoyed interpreting the different symbolizations and aspects of the story. The fact that it’s written in verse makes the impact sentences much much more impactful. I would almost recommend this book to anyone as almost all people with varying preferences can enjoy it. I would rate this book a 8.5/10