Robert Cormier – författare

Francis Joseph Cassavant is 18. He has just returned home from the Second World War, and he has no face. He does have a gun and a mission: to murder his childhood hero.  Francis lost most of his face when he fell on a grenade in France. He received the Silver Star for bravery, but was it really an act of heroism? Now, having survived, he is looking for a man he once admired and respected, a man adored my many people, a man who also received a Silver Star for bravery. A man who destroyed Francis’s life.

Denny answered the phone.  He was forbidden to ever answer the phone, but at 16, he figured his dad’s rule was just stupid. And Denny is soon plunged into a terrifying ordeal of revenge and madness for a horrific incident that happened 25 years before. 

Money’s tight and Henry is lucky to have the job at Mr. Hairston’s grocery store. His parents are both lost in despair following the death of Henry’s older brother, and Henry is glad for the opportunity to feel like he’s helping. Saving to buy a marker for Eddie’s grave, Henry tries to ignore Mr. Hairston’s commentary about the customers. But Henry is shocked when he is told he’s being laid off. That is, unless he agrees to do one thing, one terrible thing.

Buddy Walker is troubled by his parent’s recent divorce, and when Harry Flowers suggests a prank, he goes along, just for opportunity to do something different. He doesn’t realize that someone is watching.  When Jane Jerome’s house is trashed, and sister brutally injured in a home invasion, she struggles to continue with her life as her family falls apart.  The Avenger has witnessed reckless evil. He has killed before and knows that he just needs to wait until the time is right before he can take his revenge.  Robert Cormier once again sheds light on the conflict between good and evil and the dark side of human nature. In his classic style, each character’s point of view is revealed invoking both sympathy and horror while showing the complexities of the psyche.

The school year is almost at an end, and the chocolate sale is ancient history. But no one at Trinity School can forget the Chocolate War. Devious Archie Costello, commander of the secret school organization called the Vigils, still has some torturous assignments to hand out before he graduates. In spite of this pleasure, Archie is troubled that his right-hand man, Obie, has started to move away from the Vigils. Luckily Archie knows his stooges will fix that. But Obie has some plans of his own.

Eighteen-year-old Eric has just been released from juvenile detention for murdering his mother and stepfather. Now he’s looking for tenderness—tenderness he finds in caressing and killing beautiful girls.Fifteen-year-old Lori has run away from home again. Emotionally naïve but sexually precocious, she is also looking for tenderness—tenderness she finds in Eric. Will Lori and Eric be each other’s salvation or destruction? Told from their alternating points of view, this harrowing thriller speeds to its fateful conclusion with an irresistible force, and a final twist that will not be easily forgotten.

When Francis Cassavant returns to his home town, his face horribly disfigured during World War II, he is tormented by memories of the conflict. People believe him to be a teenage war hero, not realising that his act of ‘heroism’ was in fact a suicide attempt. Back home, Francis has a mission – to get revenge on the youth leader he idolised, but betrayed him. And he’s prepared to do whatever it takes.

What are the themes?

Heroism, conflict, struggle against evil, guilt, forgiveness, loneliness, loyalty.

Teaching points

This short novel, with its gripping plot and engaging themes, is accessible to a wide range of abilities. Provides excellent opportunities for exploring structure and narrative viewpoint.