The synopsis won't give you a hint of the depth behind the main character's reason for wanting to kill his childhood hero, and it really got me. Given my prior enjoyment of 'Of Mice and Men' and my fondness for war books, I was quite looking forward to reading this, and dived eagerly into it straight away. However, his luck began to change with the arrival of Larry and the opening of the town’s new recreation center, which was dubbed the “ Wreck Center” due to its shoddy refurbishment and its bloody history as the site of a wedding that turned into a mass shooting. His books are supposed to be twisty and well-written (some are required in many high school curricula); and 3.

Francis covers his entire face for the entirety so I never got a full idea of what he might look like but Cormier didn't play it down at all, instead (perhaps overly) mentioning the oozing crevices of Francis' face where his features used to be and the soaked-through bandages that filled with blood and pus. Rivier claims that there were no war heroes, only scared children, and Cormier's lack of a clear definition of heroism leaves the reader feeling just as confused and ambivalent as the characters. As Francis draws near the exit, Larry flicks off the lights, and Francis suddenly decides he cannot fully abandon his sweetheart, hiding himself in the shadows as the other two dance. Francis’ backstory and the heartbreaking reason he felt like he had to go to war are interesting, adding to the pathos of what is both a untraditional story about war and a chronicle of innocence lost. Francis also has one goal and that is too kill his mentor, after finding out why, you are hopping that he pulls the trigger not only on his mentor but also on his self.I think it's a sad book because you cannot take away a chill hood from a kid and send him to war knowing that he might die or like what happen to francis he almost die. I really sympathised with him, and on several occasions, I just wanted to step through the pages and give him a big hug. He began the New Deal, which aimed to solve some of the problems within the country, such as unemployment. There is however something that Larry tries to hide from them all, but in his weakness fails to control himself, and here the dark theme and his morality is eventually revealed.

There was the story of Francis's childhood, and his escapades with Larry and Nicole, his experiences in the war, and finally, his post-war life, hiding from the world and waiting for his enemy to come home.I think This book is great (like you haven't picked that up already), I'd recommend it to everyone who - can - read, as this is such an amazing book: short enough to read, and engaging enough to love.

As the two men talk, Francis confesses that the true reason he went to war was because he wanted to die, and then he reveals that he witnessed the rape. Francis can’t bring himself to make good on his plan to avenge Nicole by killing Larry and so he walks away. Francis wasn't a easily liked character as after the war he is portrayed as a bitter person who is stuck in the past. Francis waits outside and stands frozen there in panic when he hears the sounds of Larry raping Nicole inside. Although Francis did not enlist as he was not of age when the war began, after Nicole Renard was sexually assaulted and he, mentally traumatized, decided to 'kill himself'.Nicole moves to Frenchtown in the seventh grade and eventually becomes Francis’ childhood sweetheart and Larry LaSalle’s star dance pupil. The two spend a night reminiscing about the town, and Norman eventually tells Francis that Nicole and her family suddenly left Frenchtown shortly after Francis enlisted. Eventually, one the veterans, Arthur Rivier, recognizes Francis but agrees to keep his identity secret.

His most popular works include I Am the Cheese, After the First Death, We All Fall Down and The Chocolate War, all of which have won awards. Francis is a shy kid and LaSalle helps him to develop confidence by teaching him to play table tennis, earning him a reputation as a table tennis champion. That night, contemplating suicide, Francis climbed the steeple of the town church, but ultimately decided that to take his own life in such an obvious way would only disgrace his family.Later she is involved in the events concerning Larry LaSalle, who taught her dancing in the 'Wreck Centre'. Francis eventually defeats LaSalle in a game-- a source of pride until he learns that LaSalle let him win. I would recommend this to 16+ with discussion so that teens don't come awy thinking that all adults are all untrustworthy and dangerous. Francis goes to on to beat LaSalle in a table tennis competition and became well known " Table Tennis Champion.