The Long and Short of It

10/24/2017

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Must call attention to this cover, it is brilliant in both concept and design.

Here’s the thing about Jason Reynolds’ latest book for young adults: It is simultaneously a book that I breezed through quickly and conversely a book that took me a very long time to digest. Long Way Down is a novel told in verse. So if you’re counting pages and words, it appears to be a very quick read. However consuming lines of text is merely the beginning. It barely scratches the surface.

To read this book requires some time to contemplate the depth of emotion Reynolds infuses into each carefully chosen word and every thoughtfully crafted page. The portrait he paints is complex. This is not an easy read and Reynolds offers readers no easy out. The work of processing this story is indeed work.

Fifteen year old Will (the choice of a name seems deliberate) is coming to grips with the death of his older brother Shawn. He determines that his only recourse is to take his brother’s gun from the bedroom dresser drawer and shoot his brother’s killer. With the weapon tucked inside his waistband, Will heads to the elevator, ready to travel down his apartment’s eight floors and avenge Shawn’s death.

This is where the story begins. At each floor the elevator opens and an individual steps in, accompanying Will on his journey. Each of his fellow elevator occupants is 1) known to Will and 2) was murdered. These ghosts from Will’s life, travel with him on his downward descent. Note: The image of descending while remaining captive inside a closed box is striking. Both Will and readers are keenly aware of these individuals’ unmistakeable presence inside the elevator. Reynolds adds key descriptive details to their verbal exchanges that offer poignant insights into the world of life and death for young urban teens

The language is poetic, vivid, and rich in symbolism.

AND THEN THERE WERE SHOTS
Everybody
ran,
ducked,
hid, tucked
themselves tight.
Pressed our lips to the
pavement and prayed
the boom, followed by
the buzz of a bullet,
didn't meet us.

Reynolds use of the page turn is a masterstroke of poetic genius. It left me marveling at the power of carefully positioned words to create maximum impact.
The pacing is breathtaking. What initially appears to be rough starts and stops speeds up as the car descends closer and closer to the ground floor or the elevator's L button.
This is a book to be discovered while alone and also to read aloud. It is a book for quiet contemplation as well as group discussion. It is a story that continues to resonate with readers well past the final page.
Thank you, Jason Reynolds. The legacy of Walter Dean Myers lives on.