Twelve (novel)
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| Author | Nick McDonell |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
| Released | July 2002 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 256 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-8021-1717-1 (hardback edition) & ISBN 0-8021-4012-2 (paperback edition) |
Twelve is a novel by Nick McDonell about drug addiction, violence and sex among mainly wealthy Manhattan teenagers. The protagonist is known as "White Mike". The novel is written in the third person perspective. Like many books about the contemporary teenager
[edit] Plot summary
Twelve's central theme is primarily concerned with boredom and anxiety, intersperced with tense scenes of frantic, as well as slow-motion pacing. The novel is heavily cinematic; however, this is achieved with a skeletal use of phrase or description. (This is something like a trademark in the book, where a chapter may consist of 25 words or several hundred) The scenes are often only briefly described, with much created in the readers mind. Apart from "White Mike" we are introduced, in various ways, to the inhabitants of the novel; all of whom seem to hail from a variety of social and economic backgrounds. There are few periferal characters, and virtually no parental intrusion into the plot. The narrative follows several characters, including White Mike, his drug dealing cousin Charlie, who got him into dealing, Hunter, a friend of White Mike who becomes a murder suspect, Lionel, a double-crossing friend of White Mike's, A friend of Hunter's named Andrew, two wigger boys named Mark Rothko and Timmy, Chris and Claude, two brothers, and the girls, Sara and Jessica. Claude is an ex cocaine additct who now collects weapons. He illegally buys guns in Chinatown. Charlie, White Mike's cousin, is killed. During a New Year's party at Chris and Claude's, White Mike disovers Lionel killed Charlie. Lionel is about to sleep with Jessica, who is only performing the sexual act to get more drugs. White Mike tries to stop them and is shot by Lionel. The gunshot causes Claude to snap. He leaves his room armed with a submachine gun and other weapons, then goes on a rampage that costs most of the party goers their lives. He is shot to death by the police. A brief coda explains that White Mike has recovered from his gunshot wound and now studies in Paris.
[edit] Inscription
After the title page is the inscription - "Dedicated to my father." The next page reads - "Can we please all stand and have a moment of silence for those students who died. And can we now have a moment of silence for those students who killed them."
[edit] Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science
The character Hunter, a friend of White Mike, is possibly a reference to McDonell's father's friendship with Hunter S. Thompson.
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