Raw, searing and at times deeply troubled, the initial chapters of this book lay out the fundamental problem that social animals like humans have: the impossibility of truly knowing another person. One murder, three suspects and everybody has different viewpoints on the boys, the victim, the situation.
People play favorites; others have their notions of students shaken to their foundations; the police already have a suspect in hand…or do they? It’s harrowing stuff, all of it inextricably tied up with racism, toxic masculinity and school hierarchies. The basis of the Promise school seems firmly rooted in discipline but also contains disturbing elements of fascism, what with its rigid adherence to arbitrary rules designed to impose almost militaristic conformity. It’s a frightening atmosphere, both deadening to the spirit yet certain to lead to an explosion of violence and hostility.
This is a mystery novel with multiple layers, one that forces the readers to examine their own preconceived notions of social justice, racial profiling and a system that seems deliberately designed to crush individual spirit.
People play favorites; others have their notions of students shaken to their foundations; the police already have a suspect in hand…or do they? It’s harrowing stuff, all of it inextricably tied up with racism, toxic masculinity and school hierarchies. The basis of the Promise school seems firmly rooted in discipline but also contains disturbing elements of fascism, what with its rigid adherence to arbitrary rules designed to impose almost militaristic conformity. It’s a frightening atmosphere, both deadening to the spirit yet certain to lead to an explosion of violence and hostility.
This is a mystery novel with multiple layers, one that forces the readers to examine their own preconceived notions of social justice, racial profiling and a system that seems deliberately designed to crush individual spirit.