Reviewed by Michaela Gordoni
In Broken Pencils by J.R. Rice, 18-year-old Jonah is in for a whirlwind prom night when his emotions mount on top of drug use and alcohol. He has a personal recipe for disaster, and the ingredients are as follows: First, his best friend Keon suddenly died a few years ago, and prom night coincides with Jonah’s birthday and the anniversary of Keon’s death. Second, Jonah’s got depression and bipolar disorder. Third, he hasn’t been taking his medications. Fourth, his parents are getting a divorce and fight right before sending him off to prom. Fifth, his friends influence him with alcohol and drugs. Sixth, unfortunate events drive out incredible anger and violence in him that have very serious results. And eighth, well, let’s just say his dad letting him take his Mercedes wasn’t such a great idea. And let’s not forget the ninth ingredient—a trip to the strip club. Purchase Here.
Though the focus is on the events that Jonah is a part of, J.R. Rice found time to weave in elements about class, race, and humanness in unexpected yet poignant ways. The words out of his character’s mouths have a way of sticking with you long after you’ve read the book. And though no very detailed descriptions are given about many of the characters, Rice has made them seem very real from the way they talk and the words they say. It’s all around just incredibly authentic-feeling dialogue.
Jonah’s tragic adventure is an extremely thought-provoking one. His story is the ultimate unbottling of pain. His friend’s death impacted him deeply, and he needs help, but he seems to believe himself beyond help. Jonah’s already struggling through life as it is, but on prom night, he drops to a point where he is completely devoid of hope.
Rice wrote the story in such a way that it’s hard to know if everything Jonah sees and hears is reality, as he battles with mental illness and a body full of drugs and alcohol. It’s clear he just wants to feel something, to find some kind of comfort. But after a sad visit to the strip club, it seems comfort doesn’t exist anymore. Jonah’s spiral happens so fast, and it begs the question: is it even possible that this fall could have been prevented?
This is an emotionally rough read. And as I flipped from page to page, many times all I could think was, “Jonah, no, no,” as he made terrible decisions one after the other. Broken Pencils is certainly creatively written and eye-opening. Though Jonah is technically still a teen, he’s a legal adult, and the choices he made could have easily happened years later instead of that night if he kept dwelling inside his hurt. All in all, this is a very serious book on an important topic and is perhaps best suited for adult readers.