We All Fall Down

We All Fall Down is a novel written by Robert Cormier.

Detailed Summary

The story takes place in a small town in the USA, called Burnside. We, however, don?t get to know when the story takes place, but apparently it is in the 90?s or 80?s, at spring.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the evening of April Fools' Day a group of four boys (Harry Flowers, Buddy Walker, Marty Sanders and Randy Pierce) decide to vandalize a family?s home just for the kicks. They do tremendous things to Jerome?s house, but they don?t break any window. They trash the furniture, pee on the walls and they even push Karen, Jane?s sister, down the cellar stairs, because she comes home earlier than expected and surprises the invaders. As a result of that Karen falls into a coma for a very long time. This incident destroys the Jeromes? lives. Jane, Artie and their parents are shocked and they do not understand who would be able to do such a terrible thing to them. Their family life does not remain as it used to be and no one feels comfortable in the house anymore.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One boy, called the Avenger, watches the vandalizing and promises himself to avenge it, but he doesn?t do anything to stop it that night, because he thinks he should wait for the right moment.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jane Jerome takes the vandalism very hard. After a while one of the trashers, the leader, gets caught by the police, because one of the neighbors, who had seen the license plate of Harry?s car, turns him in. However, Harry perverts the facts. He claims to have invaded the house alone and doesn?t tell

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~