It might be his birthday, but blowing out the candles never seems to grant Jonah Tarver his wish. For as many of his eighteen years as he can remember, Jonah has endured one challenge after another. True, his family loves him, but they don’t always know how to help him through his troubles. His father is a well-respected Superior Court Judge, so they aren’t stuck in a rut of poverty, but neither are they without concern for finances. Jonah can’t help but bear some guilt for this since his mental health visits and treatments only add to the bills. But money isn’t his biggest dilemma. He has a younger brother always looking to him for answers that don’t seem to exist. Then there is the crumbling relationship between his parents. And always at the forefront of his mind is the tragic death of his best friend, especially on the anniversary of the accident. Today, however, things are going to change for Jonah. It’s not only his birthday, but it’s prom night, and he plans to celebrate like a king. He’s got his best buddy by his side, his long-term girlfriend on his arm, the keys to his dad’s fancy Mercedes, and all the most decadent vices San Francisco has to offer. Intoxicated by youth, an existential philosophical quest, love, and harder drugs, Jonah will wake up a different man, that is, if he survives the night at all.
Adolescence is a messy business and Broken Pencils hones in on this transitional time with a fresh voice and an honest evaluation of modern troubles. Jonah is an interesting character, a young man whose perception outpaces his age. At prom, he observes the carefully concealed emptiness in other students. “They texted. They selfied. They performed multi-stepped handshakes and synchronized owl chants. They did everything possible to hide and cover their present reality of unhappiness.” Coming to terms with his own purposelessness, Jonah’s night takes on an ominous tone. When he gets involved in various sordid activities with some incredibly damaging people, his eyes are opened to more than he bargains for. Even when the story features a few too many cheap thrills and introduces audiences to some distinctly unlikable characters, the powerful revelations, particularly one incredibly touching conversation between Jonah and his father, make the 18-year-old’s convoluted night one that audiences will remember. And Jonah’s gift at observational humor adds some levity when the somber story needs it most. Filled with youthful exuberance, raucous partying, vicious truths, and heartbreaking volatility, Broken Pencils is a novel that aims for poignancy, targeting an age group where many struggle to find meaning.
