Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

Quirk, Matthew. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. 2013. 273p. ISBN 978-0-3162-2133-7. Available at FIC QUI on the library shelves. This book has been nominated for a Flume Award in 2015.

Leonard Peacock is not blessed with many things. His name is strange. He’s bullied at school, and he hates most of his classes. His mother moved to New York City for her fashion career, while his washed-out rock star father fled to Venezuela years ago and hasn’t been heard since. His only friend is the old neighbor, Walt, with whom he watches old Humphrey Bogart movies.

Today, however, everything is going to change. Because today is Leonard’s 18th birthday, and he plans to celebrate with a bang. Literally. Before the day is done, he will kill Asher, his former best friend. He’ll do it with the P38 pistol his grandfather took from a Nazi officer he had killed in World War II. Then he will kill himself. For nobody cares about Leonard, and the world would be a better place without him. Even his mother will not remember his birthday.

Armed with the gun and with four gifts, Leonard goes to school bent on carrying out his plan. But first he must give his gifts to the four people who made a difference in his life. To his friend Walt he gives a Bogart hat. To Baback, who plays the violin beautifully and who let Leonard listen to him practice for more than two years, he will give a check worth six figures to support freedom fighters in Iran. To Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he encountered outside the train station and who remains his crush, he will give a silver necklace with a crucifix. And to Herr Silverman, the only teacher Leonard respect at school, he will give his grandfather’s Bronze Medal.

And to Asher, he will give a bullet. But as the day progresses, and as Leonard introspects the events that led him to this point, we discover that there is more to his anger and angst than meets the eyes, and that secrets, lies, and a lack of compassion can eventually eat someone alive.