The 25th Hour

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The 25th Hour (ISBN 0-7867-0772-0) is the debut novel by David Benioff. It was released in January 2001. A film adaptation titled 25th Hour was released in 2002. It was directed by Spike Lee and Benioff wrote the adapted screenplay.

[edit] Plot summary

Montgomery Brogan is on a farewell-tour through New York. He is saying good-bye to his friends, his family and also to the city he loves and has lived in his entire life. The following day he will have to go to prison to serve a seven years sentence for drug dealing. It is clear from the outset that Monty was not caught selling drugs, but that the police were given a tip-off. Contrary to the movie, Monty already knows that it was his business partner Kostya who betrayed him.
But before leaving for prison, Monty has to gets things settled with a Russian mobster he has been working for, who is questioning his loyalty and threatening his life. During his walk through New York he tries to gather pictures of the city which he wants to have in mind when serving his sentence: “This is what he wants to see when his eyes are closed, tomorrow night and every night after for seven year.”
On his last walk through the city Monty reminisces about his life: he remembers how he got to know his girlfriend Naturelle, he remember's his mother's early death and blames for missing the opportunities he was given.
Monty spends the last night in freedom out at a night club together with his two best friends: Jacob Elinsky, an immature and confused high school teacher who has a severe crush on one of his under-aged pupils and Frank Slattery, a self-confident and successful Wall Street banker. In the night club Monty get’s things straightened out with the Russian mobsters, so that in future they will leave him and his father in peace.
At the end of the night the three friends are all in a state of agony. Jacob is totally confused after kissing his student who he meets at the club. Monty is terrified because for the first time he is fully becoming aware of the fact that he will be imprisoned for seven years, and Frank is ridden with self-guilt for never making Monty quit drug dealing.
In the dawn of the next morning Monty asks Frank for a crucial favour. As he is very good looking, Monty fears to get raped in prison. To avoid this he wants Frank to beat him up and make his good looks disappear. At first Frank refuses, but after Monty keeps touching his sore spots he looses control of himself: “Slattery keeps hitting Monty, the blows beginning to sound wet. The sound of a fist unmaking a face.” A few hours later Monty’s father drives him to prison. For seven years prison walls will separate him from the buzz of the city he loves.