Fifteen-year-old Will Holloman sits in an elevator with a gun tucked into his waistband, intending to kill the man who shot his brother, Shawn. He follows "The Rules": no crying, no snitching, and always taking revenge. As the elevator descends seven floors, the ghosts of murder victims from Will’s past enter at every stop. These figures, including his father and a childhood friend, recount their own violent ends through spare, rhythmic verse. Their presence forces Will to confront the cyclical nature of neighborhood violence and the reality of his own lethal mission.
This book serves young adults and educators interested in realistic fiction and verse narratives. Readers looking for a portrait of how grief and social pressure drive systemic cycles of retaliation find a stark depiction of urban conflict here. The story leaves the audience with a choice rather than a resolution, making it a tool for studying narrative tension and moral ambiguity. It provides a look at the psychological weight of inherited trauma and the split-second decisions that define a person's future.
- Published
- 2017
- Language
- EN
