Imagine indirectly killing your best friend because you decided to go out for one night of drinking and driving. The guilt begins to swell up inside of you like a bad bee sting and there is nothing to medicate the pain. The vision of watching your best friend die in the car you crashed becomes too traumatic to handle. An excelling basketball star named, Andy Jackson, has killed his best friend and as time goes on, his ability to face the future is getting steeper and steeper.
The main character is Andy Jackson, a 17-year old male who is a basketball star at Hazelwood High School. His outlook on life has given him a suicidal side since his drunk-driving accident that killed Robert Washington. He is rather close to his coach and girl friend, Keisha.
Andy Jackson is trying to live life with the guilt of killing his best friend, Robert Washington. The guilt has trapped him in and the doors left open seem to be locked through Andy's thoughts. “-It's all your fault you know. All your fault. You got the beer. Your drove the car. You smashed into the wall. You killed me. And now you come and keep me company.” (pg.101) To get away from his pain, Andy starts seeing a psychologist who helps him by being a mental crutch throughout the novel. The issues set ahead of Andy seem to be handled better and Andy seems to be coping at a more efficient rate. Nevertheless, when Andy's final session is done, there is only him left to face the music. There are only two ways out and Andy cannot seem to choose either.
I would definitely recommend this book because of how real it is. The book is shown through the eyes of Andy and how he becomes mentally insane through his guilt of killing Rob. You get attached to Andy and want him to get through his guilt and pain. It's a good surprise towards the ending of the novel and it is certainly a “page turner.” The novel itself, is rather easy to read because the first-person characterization coming from high school students. Every chapter would consist of Andy's thoughts as he goes through the day, letters from one character to another, and the weekly school newspaper. By undergoing this procedure in a novel, the mood of the book is set much easier. I definitely got the moods and feelings from each character in each chapter, making it easier to understand the atmosphere of the school.