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We All Fall Down
They entered the house at 9:02 P.M. and trashed their way through the Cape Cod cottage. At 9:46 P.M. Karen Jerome made the mistake of arriving home early. Thrown down the basement stairs, Karen slips into a coma. The trashers slip away.
But The Avenger has seen it all.
But The Avenger has seen it all.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
59 people are currently reading
2305 people want to read
About the author
Robert Cormier
52 books634 followersRobert Edmund Cormier (January 17, 1925–November 2, 2000) was an American author, columnist and reporter, known for his deeply pessimistic, downbeat literature. 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. The Chocolate War was challenged in multiple libraries. His books often are concerned with themes such as abuse, mental illness, violence, revenge, betrayal and conspiracy. In most of his novels, the protagonists do not win.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 265 reviews
July 19, 2020
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★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
We All Fall Down marks only the second Young Adult book that I’ve ever read and the first I’ve read by choice. The first novel, not surprising, was by the same author, which I'd read more than a decade ago--maybe closer to two decades--when I was trapped some place (I don’t even remember where) and Fade was the only book available. I liked enough of what I read in the time available that I later found another copy and finished the book. I’d remembered Robert Cormier’s name and some years back bought We All Fall Down. I had not been exploring the YA section but since there was nothing on the front cover to indicate otherwise, it had been shelved out of place. A contributing factor may have the back cover’s encapsulation of the book. It read like a crime novel. It’s part of the reason Cormier had been considered a controversial author. He tended to cover adult subjects in his YA books. He argued: “Every topic is open, however shocking. It is the way that the topics are handled that's important, and that applies whether it is a 15-year-old who is reading your book or someone who is 55.”
We All Fall Down opens with four teenagers vandalizing an upper middle class house with nobody home. That changes when the 14-year-old daughter returns alone at the wrong time. Immediately we witness how Cormier flirted with adult themes. Two of the boys hold her arms as the leader, older and more vicious, drops his pants. Angered when she fights back and then tries to run, he pushes her down the basement stairs, the results of which leave her in a coma. The fourth boy, the least culpable of the invaders, watches the encounter from start to finish from the second floor. The girl’s eyes find him and beg for help, and he is unable to move. We will follow him as he tries to deal with varying degrees of guilt.
The second of the three viewpoint characters is the family’s other daughter, two years older than her sister. What was done to her house, and particularly to her room, disrupts her life at a critical time in her emotional development. The final player is a voyeur who had convinced himself that he was a part of this house, of this family. He witnesses the entire event and--as he'd already christened himself “The Avenger” when prowling--he swears vengeance. His revenge, however, has a significant hurdle to overcome. As the first sentence from one of his early scenes explains:
Because the main characters each carry what seems to them to be substantial and deep-seated anguish (or at least the two that do not consider themselves an avenger do), it’s natural to suspect what follows will be a novel of introspection. While teenagers and angst tend to mix well in fiction, the story does open out include families and, in some cases, the past. There is movement, and through cause-and-effect their worlds begin to intersect, all in believable and interesting ways. But eventually it will wind down to only these three, initially a confrontation between just two of them, but with results that will deeply affect the third.
Which is where, had I not been so invested, I might have had cause to be wary. The other primary reason Robert Cormier was considered controversial was that things often did not turn out well for his protagonists. Not only did they not win, they often lost. Often suffered losses. I felt the conclusion rendered here was appropriate. “Happily Ever After” and “Deep Tragedy” need not be the only choices. We All Fall Down finds satisfaction somewhere in the middle.
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
We All Fall Down marks only the second Young Adult book that I’ve ever read and the first I’ve read by choice. The first novel, not surprising, was by the same author, which I'd read more than a decade ago--maybe closer to two decades--when I was trapped some place (I don’t even remember where) and Fade was the only book available. I liked enough of what I read in the time available that I later found another copy and finished the book. I’d remembered Robert Cormier’s name and some years back bought We All Fall Down. I had not been exploring the YA section but since there was nothing on the front cover to indicate otherwise, it had been shelved out of place. A contributing factor may have the back cover’s encapsulation of the book. It read like a crime novel. It’s part of the reason Cormier had been considered a controversial author. He tended to cover adult subjects in his YA books. He argued: “Every topic is open, however shocking. It is the way that the topics are handled that's important, and that applies whether it is a 15-year-old who is reading your book or someone who is 55.”
We All Fall Down opens with four teenagers vandalizing an upper middle class house with nobody home. That changes when the 14-year-old daughter returns alone at the wrong time. Immediately we witness how Cormier flirted with adult themes. Two of the boys hold her arms as the leader, older and more vicious, drops his pants. Angered when she fights back and then tries to run, he pushes her down the basement stairs, the results of which leave her in a coma. The fourth boy, the least culpable of the invaders, watches the encounter from start to finish from the second floor. The girl’s eyes find him and beg for help, and he is unable to move. We will follow him as he tries to deal with varying degrees of guilt.
The second of the three viewpoint characters is the family’s other daughter, two years older than her sister. What was done to her house, and particularly to her room, disrupts her life at a critical time in her emotional development. The final player is a voyeur who had convinced himself that he was a part of this house, of this family. He witnesses the entire event and--as he'd already christened himself “The Avenger” when prowling--he swears vengeance. His revenge, however, has a significant hurdle to overcome. As the first sentence from one of his early scenes explains:
The problem with being an eleven-year-old Avenger was just that: being eleven years old and an Avenger.
Because the main characters each carry what seems to them to be substantial and deep-seated anguish (or at least the two that do not consider themselves an avenger do), it’s natural to suspect what follows will be a novel of introspection. While teenagers and angst tend to mix well in fiction, the story does open out include families and, in some cases, the past. There is movement, and through cause-and-effect their worlds begin to intersect, all in believable and interesting ways. But eventually it will wind down to only these three, initially a confrontation between just two of them, but with results that will deeply affect the third.
Which is where, had I not been so invested, I might have had cause to be wary. The other primary reason Robert Cormier was considered controversial was that things often did not turn out well for his protagonists. Not only did they not win, they often lost. Often suffered losses. I felt the conclusion rendered here was appropriate. “Happily Ever After” and “Deep Tragedy” need not be the only choices. We All Fall Down finds satisfaction somewhere in the middle.
July 30, 2012
There's really no book I love more than We All Fall Down. I first read it almost ten years ago, I still keep my copy in my sock drawer and read it probably once a year. Robert Cormier's well known for his dark, depressing writing and unflinching look at everything wrong with human nature, but this book just affected me in a way his more well-known works, The Chocolate War and I am the Cheese, haven't, it's raw, intense, incredibly tragic.
From the first paragraph, Cormier creates a world that's both clinically brutal yet incredibly poignant. "They entered the house at 9:02 p.m. on the evening of April Fool's Day. In the next forty-nine minutes, they shit on the floors and pissed on the walls and trashed their way through the seven-room Cape Cod cottage ...." Needless to say, my first read through began in stunned silence. It's really a shame that Daring to Disturb the Universe, required reading for any Cormier fan by the way, only spends a few pages on this awesome book, but the one thing it really gets right is its explanation on how masterfully crafted, truly powerful that opening paragraph is. I don't think I have or will ever read anything so disturbing in its simplicity.
More than just the shock value, though there is plenty of that, We All Fall Down is a book that's all about shades of gray. Buddy Walker, one of the trashers, is one of the most seriously messed up protagonists I've ever read, but I could still tell he's looking for redemption despite his family and alcohol problems. Jane Jerome, whose family owns the house Buddy and his friends trashed, is haunted by that night, what happened to her sister, the effects on her family. So when Buddy and Jane meet, it's one of sweetest things I've ever read, because these are two seriously messed up people who just desperately need each other.
Even then, I just knew this wasn't going to end well, not when Jane finds out about what Buddy did. Not when the threat of the Avenger, the insane killer seeking to carry out his own twisted sense of justice, looms in the background. But in the meantime, Buddy shows he's not a totally irredeemable character, the way he treats Jane, giving up alcohol for her, his interactions with his sister, culminating in that awkward lunch with his ass of a father. It all makes Jane's discovery, cause obviously she does discover, all the more tragic.
And the ending. The ending killed me when I first read it. Utterly soul crushing. In a book about random acts of violence, yes there's more violence. Jane's destroyed. Buddy's destroyed. I'm destroyed by some of the most wrenching words put to paper, comparing love to pee stains on a wall. The final scene between Jane and Buddy is so terrible it taught me the five stages of grief, first denial at what I read, then anger at Cormier, than bargaining for a sequel, then depression at Buddy's loss, then acceptance at the turn of events. That's when I realized how incredible this book is.
Cormier excels at writing books so morally ambiguous, so psychologically compelling, so horrifically disturbing, they're going to stay with me for a lifetime. We All Fall Down most of all because of Jane and Buddy.
From the first paragraph, Cormier creates a world that's both clinically brutal yet incredibly poignant. "They entered the house at 9:02 p.m. on the evening of April Fool's Day. In the next forty-nine minutes, they shit on the floors and pissed on the walls and trashed their way through the seven-room Cape Cod cottage ...." Needless to say, my first read through began in stunned silence. It's really a shame that Daring to Disturb the Universe, required reading for any Cormier fan by the way, only spends a few pages on this awesome book, but the one thing it really gets right is its explanation on how masterfully crafted, truly powerful that opening paragraph is. I don't think I have or will ever read anything so disturbing in its simplicity.
More than just the shock value, though there is plenty of that, We All Fall Down is a book that's all about shades of gray. Buddy Walker, one of the trashers, is one of the most seriously messed up protagonists I've ever read, but I could still tell he's looking for redemption despite his family and alcohol problems. Jane Jerome, whose family owns the house Buddy and his friends trashed, is haunted by that night, what happened to her sister, the effects on her family. So when Buddy and Jane meet, it's one of sweetest things I've ever read, because these are two seriously messed up people who just desperately need each other.
Even then, I just knew this wasn't going to end well, not when Jane finds out about what Buddy did. Not when the threat of the Avenger, the insane killer seeking to carry out his own twisted sense of justice, looms in the background. But in the meantime, Buddy shows he's not a totally irredeemable character, the way he treats Jane, giving up alcohol for her, his interactions with his sister, culminating in that awkward lunch with his ass of a father. It all makes Jane's discovery, cause obviously she does discover, all the more tragic.
And the ending. The ending killed me when I first read it. Utterly soul crushing. In a book about random acts of violence, yes there's more violence. Jane's destroyed. Buddy's destroyed. I'm destroyed by some of the most wrenching words put to paper, comparing love to pee stains on a wall. The final scene between Jane and Buddy is so terrible it taught me the five stages of grief, first denial at what I read, then anger at Cormier, than bargaining for a sequel, then depression at Buddy's loss, then acceptance at the turn of events. That's when I realized how incredible this book is.
Cormier excels at writing books so morally ambiguous, so psychologically compelling, so horrifically disturbing, they're going to stay with me for a lifetime. We All Fall Down most of all because of Jane and Buddy.
June 13, 2018
This book takes at least 10 years of my life
FULL REVIEW
From the very start, right from the first lines, Cormier sets the tone for this book. And I just knew this book would upset me. And man, was I right! After I finished it, I wanted to scream cause I was frustrated and mad beyond words. Well, I guess I actually did scream. But the emotions that this book manages to raise, make it such an incredible and unforgettable journey and I'm sure this book will stick with me for a very long time.
I can't write this review without spoiling so
*** spoiler alert***
This book is written from 3 point of views: Jane, Buddy and the so called Avenger. The different pov's alternate and I had to get used to this at first. I guess my lazy side prefers clearly divided chapters (preferably with the name of the respective character in the title...). But after a few pages, it was (ofcourse) no problem at all. I always like to read different pov's and also in this book it was interesting to see how everything comes together.
Jane and Buddy are two broken teenagers, both coming from a destroyed family. So when they find each other it feels like it is meant to be. But knowing that Buddy is one of the guys who trashed her house (the event that actually disrupted Jane's family), and knowing that the trashing is linked with her sister's coma, you just know this can't end good, right? Right. Sigh.
Buddy is obviously a messed up kid. Maybe even the loser kind of guy. His family faces tempestuous times and he isn't a fighter. Instead, he finds solace in drinking. Still, he isn't a bad guy. He just makes very bad decisions. I knew his heart is in the right place when he freaks out the moment his fellow trashers are attacking Karen. It is also obvious that he feels guilty for what they did to Jane and her family. He tries to change, to stop drinking. But he makes a mistake again by not telling Jane the truth. I think those 2 would actually had a chance. Call me naive or a hopeless romantic but I think Jane had it in her to forgive Buddy.
When reading this book and noticing the ominous and sinister writing style of the author, you know the ending will be upsetting. That means Jane is bound to discover the truth. Predictable would be that Karen wakes up, recognizes Buddy from that night, and tells Jane. However, Cormier chooses for originality and throws in a mentally disturbed person who, in the end, reveals everything to Jane. I have to admit, Cormier really got me there. I thought I knew all along who the Avenger was but damn the author mislead me. And I loved that!
To be honest, I had a lot of possible disturbing endings in my mind (some say I have morbid thoughts...). So from all the possible bad endings, I guess this is the best alternative. But nevertheless it is heart breaking. After the big revelation, I kept hoping there was some way Jane & Buddy could get through this. Cause they are so good and sweet together, less broken. I guess my romantic side is stubborn. Then, with Jane's last thoughts, she makes me see what I refused to see:
"It was beautiful there for a while, wasn't it, Jane?"
She thought of the trashing and Karen in the coma all that time and her father and mother and Artie. And those yellow stains under the paint in her bedroom.
"Was it?" she said, suddenly sorry for him, she discovered how distant pity was from hate, how very far it was from love.
Because Buddy was not strong enough, or smart or courageous enough, or whatever, to confess everything, their relationship was beyond repair. And what they had, how sweet it might have been, was maybe not so beautiful after all.
End note
A book that can make me feel practically every emotion humanly possible, deserves the full 5 stars.
FULL REVIEW
From the very start, right from the first lines, Cormier sets the tone for this book. And I just knew this book would upset me. And man, was I right! After I finished it, I wanted to scream cause I was frustrated and mad beyond words. Well, I guess I actually did scream. But the emotions that this book manages to raise, make it such an incredible and unforgettable journey and I'm sure this book will stick with me for a very long time.
I can't write this review without spoiling so
*** spoiler alert***
This book is written from 3 point of views: Jane, Buddy and the so called Avenger. The different pov's alternate and I had to get used to this at first. I guess my lazy side prefers clearly divided chapters (preferably with the name of the respective character in the title...). But after a few pages, it was (ofcourse) no problem at all. I always like to read different pov's and also in this book it was interesting to see how everything comes together.
Jane and Buddy are two broken teenagers, both coming from a destroyed family. So when they find each other it feels like it is meant to be. But knowing that Buddy is one of the guys who trashed her house (the event that actually disrupted Jane's family), and knowing that the trashing is linked with her sister's coma, you just know this can't end good, right? Right. Sigh.
Buddy is obviously a messed up kid. Maybe even the loser kind of guy. His family faces tempestuous times and he isn't a fighter. Instead, he finds solace in drinking. Still, he isn't a bad guy. He just makes very bad decisions. I knew his heart is in the right place when he freaks out the moment his fellow trashers are attacking Karen. It is also obvious that he feels guilty for what they did to Jane and her family. He tries to change, to stop drinking. But he makes a mistake again by not telling Jane the truth. I think those 2 would actually had a chance. Call me naive or a hopeless romantic but I think Jane had it in her to forgive Buddy.
When reading this book and noticing the ominous and sinister writing style of the author, you know the ending will be upsetting. That means Jane is bound to discover the truth. Predictable would be that Karen wakes up, recognizes Buddy from that night, and tells Jane. However, Cormier chooses for originality and throws in a mentally disturbed person who, in the end, reveals everything to Jane. I have to admit, Cormier really got me there. I thought I knew all along who the Avenger was but damn the author mislead me. And I loved that!
To be honest, I had a lot of possible disturbing endings in my mind (some say I have morbid thoughts...). So from all the possible bad endings, I guess this is the best alternative. But nevertheless it is heart breaking. After the big revelation, I kept hoping there was some way Jane & Buddy could get through this. Cause they are so good and sweet together, less broken. I guess my romantic side is stubborn. Then, with Jane's last thoughts, she makes me see what I refused to see:
"It was beautiful there for a while, wasn't it, Jane?"
She thought of the trashing and Karen in the coma all that time and her father and mother and Artie. And those yellow stains under the paint in her bedroom.
"Was it?" she said, suddenly sorry for him, she discovered how distant pity was from hate, how very far it was from love.
Because Buddy was not strong enough, or smart or courageous enough, or whatever, to confess everything, their relationship was beyond repair. And what they had, how sweet it might have been, was maybe not so beautiful after all.
End note
A book that can make me feel practically every emotion humanly possible, deserves the full 5 stars.
October 3, 2015
Read for Banned Books Week
I had to go to some effort to get a copy to read since my county library didn't have one. The book opens with a malicious home invasion and incidental attack of a teen. The rest of the story concerns several characters' reaction to that episode of violence, but throws in every bit of teen angst that Cormier could come up with as well.
I really didn't like this book at all. I finished it because I wanted to understand why it was so beloved by some readers. While the ending does help, I really can understand why this book might not be a good choice for its target audience.....it's classified as Juvenile Fiction.
P.S. It was a bummer of a story start to finish.....time to read a cat book or something.
I had to go to some effort to get a copy to read since my county library didn't have one. The book opens with a malicious home invasion and incidental attack of a teen. The rest of the story concerns several characters' reaction to that episode of violence, but throws in every bit of teen angst that Cormier could come up with as well.
I really didn't like this book at all. I finished it because I wanted to understand why it was so beloved by some readers. While the ending does help, I really can understand why this book might not be a good choice for its target audience.....it's classified as Juvenile Fiction.
P.S. It was a bummer of a story start to finish.....time to read a cat book or something.
June 3, 2019
I'm giving this three stars ("I liked the book"), but I'm not sure that's correct. Did I like it? Who knows. This review is vague to avoid spoilers.
I'd never read a Cormier book before, and wanted to remedy that (I'm a bit too old to have read him when I was in high school). I enjoyed the dark plot, and man was it dark--bleak, even. I had that feeling of dread when I was reading--I could tell things were going to end badly for the characters (there was not even a chance, due to their actions/situation, that things would end well), but still didn't want it to happen.
I wasn't entirely convinced by the characters (but it's a short YA novel, so I can forgive that) and it was slightly dated. I did like the ending though, hopeless as it was--it was the best possible outcome, really.
I'd never read a Cormier book before, and wanted to remedy that (I'm a bit too old to have read him when I was in high school). I enjoyed the dark plot, and man was it dark--bleak, even. I had that feeling of dread when I was reading--I could tell things were going to end badly for the characters (there was not even a chance, due to their actions/situation, that things would end well), but still didn't want it to happen.
I wasn't entirely convinced by the characters (but it's a short YA novel, so I can forgive that) and it was slightly dated. I did like the ending though, hopeless as it was--it was the best possible outcome, really.
March 8, 2020
Brilliant, if not slightly controversial in regards to themes, for a Young Adult audience. I thoroughly enjoyed the thought-provoking notions and ideas this novel created.
Great use of allusion, juxtaposition and POV. Good read for senior students and an excellent opening for conversation.
This is not necessarily a YA read - so give it a go.
Great use of allusion, juxtaposition and POV. Good read for senior students and an excellent opening for conversation.
This is not necessarily a YA read - so give it a go.
March 20, 2021
I absolutely loved this book. It had me hooked from the first page, and it just kept on being interesting and mysterious until the very end. The plot is so twisted, and I could not anticipate how it was going to end. I must say it broke my heart a little at the end, but it is a supergood book!!
December 16, 2023
CW:
Cormier is a great author and the "young adult" label should have little bearing on evaluating his work's quality, especially when they work better for their existence as YA. I was worried I wouldn't enjoy this as I loved Cormier in high school and that was ages ago, but as an adult this just renewed everything about my enjoyment of his work in the first place; acutely attuned to the pulse of his narratives and satisfyingly twisty (in fact this has one of the craziest major twists I can remember reading in awhile), extraordinarily good at building dread and tension to the point where many moments got an actual verbal emotional reaction out of me. The story probes issues of accountability, injustice and the wide-ranging consequences when "good" people remain silent about the harm they or those around them have caused, in a way that feels universally palatable [insofar as much as that is possible]. Really could be a 4.5 if it was maybe a little longer, or at least if the dynamic between the two central characters had been a bit more established since the early sections of the book, though the ending still works very well and the conclusion sort of simmers and left me empty in a way that wasn't a flaw but more of a natural consequence of the events of the story, and that talent at encapsulating the reality of youth and the consequences of young people's behavior is probably Cormier's best writerly strength.
Cormier is a great author and the "young adult" label should have little bearing on evaluating his work's quality, especially when they work better for their existence as YA. I was worried I wouldn't enjoy this as I loved Cormier in high school and that was ages ago, but as an adult this just renewed everything about my enjoyment of his work in the first place; acutely attuned to the pulse of his narratives and satisfyingly twisty (in fact this has one of the craziest major twists I can remember reading in awhile), extraordinarily good at building dread and tension to the point where many moments got an actual verbal emotional reaction out of me. The story probes issues of accountability, injustice and the wide-ranging consequences when "good" people remain silent about the harm they or those around them have caused, in a way that feels universally palatable [insofar as much as that is possible]. Really could be a 4.5 if it was maybe a little longer, or at least if the dynamic between the two central characters had been a bit more established since the early sections of the book, though the ending still works very well and the conclusion sort of simmers and left me empty in a way that wasn't a flaw but more of a natural consequence of the events of the story, and that talent at encapsulating the reality of youth and the consequences of young people's behavior is probably Cormier's best writerly strength.
February 9, 2017
They entered the house at 9:02 P.M. and trashed their way through the Cape Cod cottage. At 9:46 P.M. Karen Jerome made the mistake of arriving home early. Thrown down the basement stairs, Karen slips into a coma. The trashers slip away.
But The Avenger has seen it all.
We All Fall down splits the point of view of three people, The Avenger, Jane, and Buddy. All of whom are going through a struggle, and it's not until later in the book for their paths to finally cross.
Jane Jerome, the sister of Karen Jerome, the girl who is now in a coma. Jane tries her hardest to figure out WHO did this, WHY they did it, and HOW they did it.
The Avenger, the one who's seen it all. He is an eleven year old kid, who knows how to get away with murder. He has done it before. Shot his bully, bushed his Gramps over the balcony, and is ready to strike on the trashers.
Buddy Walker, one of the boys who was caught up in it all. He didn't mean to do it, his friends dragged him into it, the one who loves Jane, and would do anything for her, but he trashed her house. And she has no clue.
This book was terrifyingly real. This book made twist and turns like a tea cup ride. This book made me want to throw up, scream, and cry. It was hard to handle all the terror that Cormier gave the reader. This book is hard to get, considering it has been banned. Cormier's writing is like palms-are-sweaty kind of writing. It is a furiously paced , disturbing, and enthralling. I definitely recommend it for people into a thrill ride. I don't think there was any other book that made me shaky like this one did.
But The Avenger has seen it all.
We All Fall down splits the point of view of three people, The Avenger, Jane, and Buddy. All of whom are going through a struggle, and it's not until later in the book for their paths to finally cross.
Jane Jerome, the sister of Karen Jerome, the girl who is now in a coma. Jane tries her hardest to figure out WHO did this, WHY they did it, and HOW they did it.
The Avenger, the one who's seen it all. He is an eleven year old kid, who knows how to get away with murder. He has done it before. Shot his bully, bushed his Gramps over the balcony, and is ready to strike on the trashers.
Buddy Walker, one of the boys who was caught up in it all. He didn't mean to do it, his friends dragged him into it, the one who loves Jane, and would do anything for her, but he trashed her house. And she has no clue.
This book was terrifyingly real. This book made twist and turns like a tea cup ride. This book made me want to throw up, scream, and cry. It was hard to handle all the terror that Cormier gave the reader. This book is hard to get, considering it has been banned. Cormier's writing is like palms-are-sweaty kind of writing. It is a furiously paced , disturbing, and enthralling. I definitely recommend it for people into a thrill ride. I don't think there was any other book that made me shaky like this one did.
November 2, 2009
This is a frequently challenged book (like most of Cormier's books) about a group of teenagers who break into a house, vandalize it, and assault the young teenage girl who makes the mistake of coming home early. The violence is ugly, brutal and exceedingly real. The book unflinchingly depicts it and then moves beyond it to address the consequences of this violence for everyone concerned.
Cormier deals with dark subjects in a complex and mature way. So many books for young adults romanticize violence in one way or another, but his do not. They show it in all its nasty, empowering glory. They're disturbing and make you feel dirty once you've read them, but they also make you think and analyze the whys and wherefores and that's what good books do.
This one is disturbing enough to give you nightmares, but compelling and truth telling all the same. Given the amount of violence our young adults experience in their day-to-day worlds, more books need to help them explicate it for themselves.
Cormier deals with dark subjects in a complex and mature way. So many books for young adults romanticize violence in one way or another, but his do not. They show it in all its nasty, empowering glory. They're disturbing and make you feel dirty once you've read them, but they also make you think and analyze the whys and wherefores and that's what good books do.
This one is disturbing enough to give you nightmares, but compelling and truth telling all the same. Given the amount of violence our young adults experience in their day-to-day worlds, more books need to help them explicate it for themselves.
April 9, 2016
Not only is this my favorite Cormier book, it is my favorite book ever. I'm not a huge fan of all of Cormier's other books, but this one really sticks with you. I read it months ago and can still recall every painstaking detail. 'We All Fall Down" stays true to Cormier's writing style, which is a bit dark, but it doesn't cross any lines that it shouldn't be crossing. It's a book that reminds you that life is short, and it doesn't always have a happy ending. Rather than leaving you depressed, though, it leaves you with a refreshed outlook on life. In this book, Robert Cormier teaches us to seize every day, because who knows if you'll get to live another one?
September 12, 2017
Disturbing, thought-provoking, poignant, twisted, and surprising, a true literary gem. Never mind this being called "young adult." This is good stuff...for any age.
February 10, 2017
(Book Name) We All Fall Down
(Book Series) None
(Book Series Number) 1#
(Author Name) Robert Cormier
(Published By) Lions Tracks
(ISBN Number) 0-00-674406-0
(Time Taken To Read Altogether) 5 Days
(Time Spent Not Reading) Perhaps One? (Uncertain)
(Total Reading Time) 5 Days
(Final Rating) Four Stars ( ★★★★ )
(Book Smell) Old Richness
(Disclaimer)
This is an honest review brought to you by Daniélle. The following review is an honest perspective of my thoughts, feelings and experience reading the book specified. It was in no way, shape or form coerced or forced in any fashion. I do not accept bribes for good reviews or even bad ones nor do I bring in any perspective but my own. I will not say do not read this book just as I will not say do read this book. Whether you the reader of this review chooses to read the following book or not is completely up to you. Also whether you like or hate it, share or disagree with my opinion, is also completely up to you. Again this is a review of nothing but what I felt, thought and perceived. Hence it is an honest review of my personal opinion. Please enjoy.
(Premise)
The premise reads like a super hero story. A evil deed has happened, an Avenger has seen it all. A girl is left hurt. The Avenger will get revenge for what has happened, for the atrocities that has taken place...
(Writing)
The writing of this book is pretty easy to read. Which I like. I'm a bit of a simpleton and don't want to reread a sentence a hundred times to understand it. Okay so maybe I had to do that but it was perhaps only two or three times, otherwise the writing is quick, easy and no spelling mistakes. I mean its not just because the book is small which lead me to reading it quickly, the writing helped. It's also different but I can't explain how. Older perhaps? Which makes sense considering this book is another older one I've recently read, written in the 1990's. Also an interesting fact is that the book is written not as a story overall but so that the reader glimpses into three people's lives. Told from their perspectives in intermitted parts of third and first person. Only in Part Two do we see a fourth added. I found this pretty new, interesting, unique and cool. I enjoyed it. Basically good writing, new for me, old for someone else.
(Impressions)
Wow. Woah. Wow. This book has left me simply reeling. Utterly and completely reeling. Leaving me with literally a hundred questions and zero answers. It just blew my mind. Literally blew it. I thought it was one thing and it turned out to be another in the end. And it's left me feeling so completely stupid as well too since the answer was right there! Literally on the back of the book! You know it had said 'thriller' but I just thought it had to do with the premise of the book. I mean its about a house being trashed and a girl being left behind, hurt. An 'Avenger' seeing it all and promising revenge. I mean that sounds pretty 'thriller' like huh? Welp someone left out the 'psychological' part because this book is very much a 'Psychological Thriller'. I mean I never saw the twist coming and holy shitting mother when it came I was like 'what? What? What the hell? What the hell just happened? Did just this happen? Is this real?' I mean I felt so many feelings. So many many feelings. So many questions and thoughts running through my mind and then the book ended with nothing more to impart and I was like damn. All those questions unanswered. With one more added. Is this really how it ends? And yeah just a lot of two faced feelings which wow. Just bums my mind really. This book would have gotten five stars had the end not been so crap. Not crap but unfulfilling? Just, empty like, really? Really? This is how it ends? Just sad man, whacked. Yeah... I mean I don't even know how to describe it. I guess just sad and yeah... So many more questions. So unfortunately only four stars due to that and the ending which in and of itself is a shame since this book definitely was interesting and unique and which I did enjoy. I was really surprised and its been a long, long, long time since that happened and this book not only managed to surprise me but floor me. Though still four amazing stars.
So unlike with The Enchanted by Roberta Murphy, the premise is very close to the actual story even with the twist at the end. Four young men enter a house and then proceed to horrifically trash it to the equivalent of $20,000 damage. They shit, piss and one even vomits all over the place, breaking mirrors, furniture, knick knacks. Tearing up bedding and mattresses and just ransacking the place beyond belief to the point where everything had to be replaced, cleaned, repainted. What's worse three of the four boys proceed to terrorise the second youngest of the children who came home from a friends' early. Fourteen year old Karen Jerome. They proceed to assault her. Threatening to rape her. Not just threatening but the leader had his pants down, his two side kicks holding her to the wall, one feeling up her breast, everything. But before anything physical can take place, Karen bites the hand of one of the boys holding her down, pushing Mr My Pants is Down backwards, inciting his anger and shouting to the others to get her as she proceeds to try and get away. She opens a door but the lights are off, the leader reaches her, pushes her down. And down she goes since the door Karen opened leads to the cellar. After the boys leave. Leaving the house desolated, the girl, Karen, broken and bruised and half assaulted at the bottom of the cellar stairs after a very real and very gruelling description of her bouncing her way down.
But someone was watching. An eleven year old who calls himself 'The Avenger'. He couldn't do anything to help Karen Jerome as she was being attacked, since, well, he's eleven. But. He swears to get his revenge and avenge the house and what had happened on this terrible night. The book then goes on to rotate between three people as both time and the story progresses to tell of the aftermath of that night and what ultimately follows. First is Jane Jerome, Karen's older sister. We follow her as her life and her family fall apart yet trying to deal with what happened and move on too as they wait for their sister and daughter to awake from her coma after the incident. Then there's Buddy Walker, one of the trashers. The only one not to participate in the assault. We follow him through his own crumbling life as his parents are getting divorced, his father having moved out of not only the house after falling for another woman but also out of his children's lives. Watching his mother being a mess afterwards. Feeling inferior to his younger more together smarter sister despite being chubby. We see him struggle with what he did, with what happened to young Karen Jerome yet doing nothing about it then or now. We see him also struggling with alcoholism and trying to stay afloat. Lastly we watch and follow The Avenger as he searches for the trashers, watches the Jerome family. Going through his own interesting inner turmoil and shocking secrets. Later in Part Two The Avenger disappears altogether, only appearing briefly near the end. We also see Karen Jerome's point of view added after she awakens from her coma. In the end, she was the least scarred. In the end this book ended in such a way as I never saw it coming. Ever.
(Characters)
The Avenger
'The Avenger'. Where to start. I liked this guy to begin with. I liked the idea of an eleven year old super hero but quickly I saw this kid wasn't a super hero but a serial killer. One with a twisted little mind which reminded me of Ted Bundy. Even if this book is fiction and if after reading the very start of this book I was rooting for the little bugger to kill every single trasher dead. Still kinda do but I had to admit it got disturbing how his mind worked later on. I mean he killed another kid, blew his face off without even flinching. Okay so maybe I was just shocked and didn't mind all that much. Until I read he killed his grandfather because he was a risk to the Avenger's secret. That was stepping over the line. Then it became clear that this boy was seriously all sorts of twisted. Weapons and dark thoughts making him excited? Basically stalking and being a perv to Jane Jerome? Then going a little whack and wanting to harm a baby just to see if the mother would do anything? Yeah, the Avenger got dark real fast and my thoughts about him changed. Little did I know what I was really in for...
Buddy Walker
Buddy, Buddy, Buddy. A lovable but vastly flawed character. In the beginning I was rooting for him to change, to get better. How he is you can't help but feel that way towards him. In the end I realised Buddy is just a lost cause. He's stuck and he can't get out of his rut. Frankly I don't think he even wants to. The only ever redeeming thing about him is that he didn't partake in hurting Karen Jerome. That he felt bad about it. But even then the reader is constantly let down by Buddy not sticking up for himself. Not telling Harry Flowers off or even going to the police. Never trying harder with either his family or his school work. I hoped he would get help cause even as a teen he's a severe alcoholic. But in the end even if its only ever mentioned that he's lying despite saying everything is fine, I think ultimately Buddy Walker will die young of a fucked up liver. He's a loser and he always will be. Even if he's a lovable one. He simply doesn't want to change or be better for himself and that is his one fatal flaw. The ending however is heart breaking. But, expected. It was stupid to begin with.
Jane Jerome
Sixteen year old Jane Jerome has recently moved. She's made friends and has fitted in at her school. She likes her new house and neighbourhood and everything is going great. Then odd things start happening. Her mother's tomato plants ripped up. A dead squirrel in a mailbox, silly things like that. And then her sister is attacked and her whole world falls apart. With Karen in a coma Jane struggles to feel secure in her own home even after everything was cleaned and security beefed up. She spends most of her time outside and uselessly walking the mall. She still goes to school yet in between now visits her sister in the hospital. She realises her friends were never really her friends and now its just all come to a head. She's alone and sad. Then she meets Buddy Walker. They fall for each other almost instantly and deeply. Buddy is the best boyfriend ever. And even if there had been warning signs Jane, in the end I believe, choose to ignore them.
Things seem to be getting better too even if Karen is still in her coma and one of the boy's, the ringleader in fact. Harry Flowers has been caught and due to insufficient evidence let go with only probation. But then Harry tells the cops it was Jane who gave him a key to the house. Untrue but her parents still took their time telling her they knew she was innocent. Then against all odds Jane is kidnapped by Mickey Stallings or as he's affectionate known as 'Mickey Looney'. Since he looks like the old actor Mickey Rooney but the nickname was given a twist. She survives her ordeal, escapes even but has discovered the truth thanks to Mickey. Afterwards Jane is left numb and hollow. She and Buddy break up. Five months later she meets him again in the mall, at her own annoyance. He's pale, lost weight, eyes bloodshot. He says he's doing well in school, that his family is fine, focusing on studies, stopped drinking. She knows he's lying. She reflects back on how easily she had missed his lies before. She dismisses an attempt, of sorts, from Buddy, leaving him literally behind. That is how the book ends.
Karen Jerome
Karen Jerome, fourteen, comes home from a friend's house early. She's attacked, near raped and pushed down the stairs. She spends a long time in a coma but eventually comes out of it. She doesn't remember much of the night which is for the best. At first she couldn't speak but that was more psychological then physical. In a few weeks she's talking near none stop, making plans, excited for the future. In the end Karen Jerome comes out of everything the least scarred.
Micky Stallings
Micky Stallings is introduced as almost an ageless man. Intelligent, kind, courteous. He never went to college but easily could have. He's a jack of all trades and mows the lawns and fixes broken things. By the end of the story however we come to learn that he, Micky Stallings, is The Avenger. Not only that but he's even more twisted then initially hinted upon. I mean I was flabbergasted at how it turned around. First he wants revenge for what happened to Karen, sees Jane and Buddy (before their breakup) making out, with tongue, and just the sight of this alone sickens him. He believed Jane was nice but seeing her kiss Buddy like that means she's not and she becomes his next target. All because of some French fucking kissing. I was like seriously?! What about the trashers?! Even if I was completely reeling from this startling revelation. I mean I was thinking but it said he killed his grandfather and this Vaughn Masterson kid not long ago how did this happen?! I kept thinking was it a mistake? Did that really even happen? Is this real? Is it a case of split personality? Did it happen then or now? I mean I was just... Whoa.
I realised I was right about the fucked up part. I was just wrong on how fucked up it really was. Hence why I say this book is a psychological thriller. In the end Jane avoids being killed (he really would have killed her by the way) through being smart. Telling Micky he's not eleven and hence can't be the Avenger. He killed his grandfather who loved him, how his mother would be mad. Since in his own words Micky says his mother was the only person he ever loved. Coming apart right before her eyes, Jane came to watch as Micky Stallings slit his wrists and stabbed himself in his stomach. Dying by committing suicide right before her eyes. Here is where an example of my two faced feelings comes in. I mean he should die so he can't hurt her but she's not even trying to help him, not saying anything just watching him die. And yes, in the end both, in a way, Micky Stallings and The Avenger both die before Jane could be harmed in any way. I found it funny she had more sympathy for him then for Buddy. Believed he wouldn't have killed her cause trust me hon, he would have. And this right here is where and why this book gets four stars from me. This surprised and shocked me so much I was literally going what the fuck just happened. And that is what I love. I've never been so surprised I think and I really liked that I was so thanks!
Harry Flowers & Winston Flowers
If I had to only say one sentence about this smuck it would be "Someone please kill this mother fucking asshole." Yet actually I am sooo confused about this guy. One moment he's a trashing rapist, the next he seems like a fairly upstanding guy who I don't hate as much?! Though I do believe he would have raped Karen Jerome given the chance, still feels like something really REALLY bad should happen to him and that he's also another effing Ted Bundy. I mean he's on honour roll, his parents are still together, his father paid for the damages no questions asked. He seems nice at times. Even called Jane to tell her sorry (I don't feel like he meant it) and to stand up for Buddy, to try and get him help. Then there are times when this guy is a total mother effing creep. I mean he admitted that he drinks and smokes pot on occasion. He obviously trashes people's houses. He would have raped Karen and he definitely pushed her down the stairs. He tried coming onto Jane after everything that happened?! In the end none of the trashers had anything bad happen to them. In the end they got away scot free. In the end I hope something truly horrible will eventually happen to them. I also feel like this was a mistake in the book. That something should have happened. Cause it feels like what they did, what happened to Karen, became insubstantial and like a background story and again nothing was done. That is another downer for me. Basically someone kill Harry fucking Flowers real good and dead. Make him suffer! Harry's father. A prominent architect only ever mentioned. He needs to realise who and what his son really is and get his own fucking act together.
Mr & Mrs Jerome & Artie Jerome
Their names were never mentioned, I believe but I liked this couple. I liked that their good people and good to their kids. I disliked however, especially with Mr Jerome, how they handled the thing with Jane and the accusation that she had given Harry Flowers a key (again not true). I mean I think, despite what they said, that they did believe it. And then Mrs Jerome had the audacity to say it was Jane's fault, that she was punishing them after she rightfully ran off. I don't know if they ever will be a proper family again. I think something like this just leaves a mark, on everything. I did like however that they made up and that Mr Jerome did redeem himself in the end by protecting Jane so profusely after the kidnapping. They are good people, good parents still. However they let their emotions cloud their judgement in a critical moment. Also standard little brother. Bratty and a kid. He stopped playing his video games after the incident, hated not only the house but the whole neighbourhood. Got night terrors. In the end he got better, got his family back. Doesn't mind his room again since he's back to playing video games. A character that wasn't around much to form much of an opinion on.
Mr & Mrs Walker & Addy Walker
He's a cheater who's also sort of a drunk. A loser too and a total asshole who abandoned his wife and his family. Thinks money will help probably. A douche. She's a loser too who can't get her act together. Weepy willow type who can't see what's right before her eyes. Basically a sad daughter, drunk of a son. Basically the relationship between these two was never well described and both seem obvious to their children and what's going on. I mean how can the man just leave, vanish sort of like that? Kinda scary and yeah. Failures, both of em. While Addy Walker is Buddy's younger sister. Smart, witty and creative she's good in school and sharp as a knife. However she's just a kid too saddened by her parents divorce, a lot of hate in her heart and while she knows that her brother is a drunk, doesn't do anything to help him. In fact offers him booze once just so they could spend time together. An enabler. Buddy I think might have made it had someone not only seen but stepped up and gotten his ass in rehab. Still a good kid though.
Marty Sanders & Randy Pierce
Loser, asshole. One of the trasher's who felt up Karen Jerome's breast. Bastard that needs teaching. Then we have Harry's little puppy dog basically. Never did much except hold Karen down, still an asshole and needs whooping. Also an idiot. Both have weird conversations.
Amos Dalton / Patti Amareelli & Leslie Cairns
Ten year old boy, wears middle aged shoes. The only fucking person to actually do the right thing! Loves books. Then also supposedly Jane's friends. Not really, superficial girls.
(Final Word)
Until the next book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2022
I thought I had read most of Robert Cormier's books when I was an English teacher. His writing was stellar, and he was responsible for hooking many a reluctant reader on the written word. It's kind of amusing to see how much the world has changed since this book was written in 1991. Today's youth would have a hard time understanding a telephone that was not only attached to the wall, but was shared among members of the same family AND gave no clue as to who was calling. Another slight negative was a less-than-complete understanding of coma on the part of the writer. Beyond that, it's a book that speaks to the reader, at times touching, compelling, repugnant, and brutal.
September 12, 2024
Haven’t read much that has been blowing me away this year so special thanks to the late Robert Cormier for bringing me back from the abyss! This mans work is always so suspenseful, intelligent, empathetic and realistic. I plan on re-reading some of his well known works and first time reading the more obscure ones too!
October 7, 2013
yes i liked the book it keep me on the edge of my seat keep making me turn the pages i like the twist in the books. the avenger was may favorite character i liked it when he turned out to be a full growing adult and how the book took us back almost 30 years and made it seem like it was present day and how he could get away with what he did. the theme that was keep consent was the whole vandalism theme the forced it into the book and made it stick their but not to keep it to over whelming.this book should be put in all public high schools because of the adventure love and how parents divorce can affect their kids in ways to were they almost drink them self to death. i would recommend this to every one not stopping at my friends I'd go up to complete strangers and tell them to read this book. out of all my books iv read this is number two of my list of re reads my number one is the tomorrow series by john marsden. John MarsdenRobert Cormier
August 16, 2011
We All Fall Down is a frequently challenged book about a group of teenagers who break into a house, vandalize it, and physically attack the young teenage girl walks in on the criminal activity. The violence is horrible, vicious and very real. The book courageously depicts the violent behavior and then moves beyond it to tackle the consequences of this brutality for everyone concerned. The author deals with dark subjects in a multifaceted and adult way without going to far into the adult realm. So many books for young adults idealize violence in one way or another but We All Fall Down shows it in all its malicious, powerful glory. The scenes are distressing but they also make you think. This book is upsetting enough to give you nightmares, but persuasive and straightforward at the same time. Given the amount of violence our young adults experience in their daily lives whether it be in person or on the news more books need to help them explain it for themselves.
5 Stars
5 Stars
February 22, 2008
I loved this book. Its a real tear-jerker. I couldn't wait to get to the end and when I did I was surprised at what happened. Of course, to find out you'll have to read it. :)
At 9:02 pm, four teenagers trash through a cottage on the other side of town. Being drunk they didn't fully understand what they were doing until after they had pissed on the walls, vommitted on the floor, broken everything in the house (except the windows), and raped Karen Jerome. They push her down a flight of stairs where she slips into a coma.
But the Avenger had seen it all, and he would have his revenge. All he had to do was wait. Something he was very good at, something he had had experience in.
At 9:02 pm, four teenagers trash through a cottage on the other side of town. Being drunk they didn't fully understand what they were doing until after they had pissed on the walls, vommitted on the floor, broken everything in the house (except the windows), and raped Karen Jerome. They push her down a flight of stairs where she slips into a coma.
But the Avenger had seen it all, and he would have his revenge. All he had to do was wait. Something he was very good at, something he had had experience in.
October 10, 2013
I think this was a good book, but it was a little bit confusing, because it jumped to different scenes and time period. My favorite character was buddy because he was bad at first when he did the trashing, then he felt bad and found his love of his love jane and became a better person for her.the theme of the story is to not let yourself get into problams because of drinking,because someone is always going to get the truth out of you sooner or later. i think this book should be tought in highschools because it shows that life isnt always going to be perfect and end up how u want it to be. i reccomend this book becuase it is a good book and shows that drinking isnt good for anyone.
October 14, 2013
I loved this book! I thought it was absolutely amazing, at least until the end. I know the book was focused on being realistic and unidealistic but i would like to beleive that Jane would have Stayed with Buddy. But I understand why for her that would have been to hard, if the love they felt was real then it should have been able to overcome that. Honestly, the ending made me hate most of the Characters. I do beleive this should continue to be read in Highschool because it does its job of showing how not all stories have happy endings. I gave this book 4 stars because i think it was great but, the ending kind of ruined it for me. But i do reccomend it to everyone!
June 21, 2017
I was quite impressed with We All Fall Down. Cormier takes the reader into the worlds of the main characters and makes them sympathetic even while not always condoning their actions. Their hopes, desires, fears are realistically depicted. For me the scenes centered around the Avenger do not always quite work (which takes We All Fall Down out of the league of The Chocolate War), but that is really my only complaint about this book. I especially admire the final scene for its tying together of the themes of this novel. Recommended.
October 9, 2013
I liked this book because I was always on the edge of my seat and it was well written. My favorite character was Buddy because he messed up and treys to change his was and do the right thing. If you mess up don't beat yourself down over it, try to overcome your problems and tell the truth. Yes it should be thought in public schools because it teaches USA good lesson on how to be ourself and how to be honest. I would recommend this book to my friends because I don't like reading but I really liked this book and it kept me thinking.
October 14, 2013
I liked this book because there was always something happening in the book to keep you interested. My favorite character was buddy because he was the main character and even though he acted like a bad kid you could tell he was a good kid at heart. One theme i noticed in the book was that you should never lie because buddy lied and that didn't do anything good for him. I think this book should be taught in public high schools just because its a really good interesting book and i would recommend this book to a friend.
October 8, 2013
I thought this was a great book. It has all the weird twists and turns that you don't expect a book to contain. I believe that this book should be taught at a high school level because it shows how some people are in this world and that everyone has things in there life that you'd never expect until you get to know them more.I would recommend this book to friends knowing that they would be hooked like I was. When rereading some parts of the book you start to get a better understanding of the true meaning.
March 31, 2021
Robert Cormier's books mean so much to me, and this is my favorite. There are a lot of dark things going on here, but it's a breakup story at its core. The final few pages capture such a painful unraveling.
"It was beautiful there for a while, wasn't it, Jane?"
"Was it?"
October 22, 2017
I really liked this book, it surprised me that I did, but one of the better YA books, not sure why it never gets any attention.
April 12, 2021
Another dark book from young adult author Robert Cormier.
I had a bit of a problem with Buddys "alcoholism" which I didn't find at all realistic & the blossoming relationship between the two MC's seemed very "tell don't show". Nevertheless, still a good story, and I appreciate that Cormiers books are always interesting and different.
Certainly got me out of a huuuuge reading slump I've been in for most of this year.
I had a bit of a problem with Buddys "alcoholism" which I didn't find at all realistic & the blossoming relationship between the two MC's seemed very "tell don't show". Nevertheless, still a good story, and I appreciate that Cormiers books are always interesting and different.
Certainly got me out of a huuuuge reading slump I've been in for most of this year.
September 26, 2023
This is a very good read for a YA book. Robert Cormier writes a hell of a story. It's hard at first to get used to the writing style as it's split between three main characters and there are no chapters. It does however get easier as you go. It's a dark story with real emotions. The characters are very well developed and the twist at the end really had me in awe. I'm def going to be filing my library with more Robert Comer.
October 19, 2023
Ich habe nicht wirklich was auszusetzen, deshalb 5 Sterne. Es war von den ersten Seiten an spannend, man kommt schnell in die Geschichte rein, es ist kein klassischer Krimi oder Thriller, es kommt dennoch ein düsteres Gefühl auf und es gibt mehrere Möglichkeiten, wie sich das Ende auflöst. Für mich war es dann doch überraschend. Von der Thematik und Aufbau des Inhaltes sehr gut.
June 1, 2025
Robert Cormier wrote books that stop readers in their tracks. I Am the Cheese is my favorite book from high school; I have read it several times over the years since. The Rag and Bone Shop is another of Cormier’s finest. This book, written in 1991, is still just as good today! I didn’t want to put it down. I needed to know everything!!!!!!!
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