payment page
At the start of the novel, 15-year-old Will Holloman is grappling with the shocking, painful reality that his brother Shawn has just been killed, cycling through memories of his life before this tragedy and facing the shock of Shawn’s absence. In this state of bewilderment and freefall, Will turns to The Rules, a code of conduct that guides life in Will’s family and in his community at large. The Rules demand that Will hold back his emotions, handle his brother’s death without the help of authorities, and get revenge on the person who killed his brother. Will, who also lost his father and uncle to gun violence, struggles with the absence of any father figure and clings to The Rules to guide him instead. Though he’s never even held a gun, Will believes himself to be duty-bound to kill his brother’s murderer, who he thinks is his brother’s former childhood friend, Riggs, and sets out on that dangerous, unrealistic journey. As he ventures into the elevator, there’s no one left among the living to guide him or stop him from this fools’ errand, and Will’s innocence and life are in jeopardy.
Once inside the elevator, Will’s life and reality begin to change. Each of the dead people who visit him floor-by-floor in the elevator offer him information, guidance, and perspective that he isn’t able to find on his own. Dani, for example, reminds Will of his innocence, before his life was more deeply shaped by violence, and leads him to begin to question whether he even has the right person in the sites of the gun. Buck, his uncle, and his father all help Will question whether or not he is capable of carrying out the task he’s set for himself, reminding him, sometimes aggressively, of his own youth and naivety. Frick brings the crucial information that it's unlikely Riggs killed his brother. Shawn finally arrives to call the entire system of The Rules into question, crying and moaning in a spectacular display of grief, pain, and other emotions he was unable to show in life. All of this teaches Will that his journey is not what he thinks it is and that he may not need to continue the cycle of violence. This also suggests that Will may find different avenues for his grief, turning to emotional expression like his brother demonstrates in death, instead of violence. As the only living person on the elevator, Will’s character represents the power of choice, as the other characters must permanently face the consequences of their choices in life. True to his name, Will is the only character whose will can lead to a different outcome for him and his family.
