Leonard Peacock is an angry kid. His father is not around anymore, and his mother leaves him in their small suburban town to work in New York City. On his 18th birthday he wraps his grandfather's World War 2 handgun in pink paper, places it in his backpack, and takes it to school. His mission: to kill another student and then himself. First he is going to deliver four presents to his only friends, or people who have somehow made a difference in his life. Leonard's story is told in flashbacks, as he explains why he wants to kill himself. He thinks becoming an adult means your life stays as hopeless as his is now. He sees commuters on the train to work; looking ultimately defeated, and thinks nothing wonderful waits for him in adulthood. He thinks ending his life now will avoid anymore pain coming to him.
One of the characters that Leonard gives a gift, Walter, his elderly neighbor, introduces Leonard to Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Leonard and Walt speak in quotes from the movies. Another interesting character, Herr Silverman, is Leonard's Holocaust teacher. Leonard really respects his opinions and ideas and Herr Silverman goes out of his way to help Leonard. He understands Leonard's struggles and tries to convince him to hold onto hope.
The story takes place in a 24 hour period, so it is a very quick read. The downside was Leonard himself. I feel bad for him, really I do, but he was such a jerk. He definitely had a terrible situation on his hands, but he was a very unlikeable jerk to everyone who tried to help him. I enjoyed the writing, Quick captured the soul of a tortured teenager, but the message of hope was a little too in your face.
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