Book of the Week: Vernon God Little

Vernon God Little by D.B.C. Pierre
Reviewed by Luke Osborne

Vernon God Little is a brilliant satirical novel by D.B.C. Pierre, published in 2003. It won the Man Booker Prize in 2003 along with many other awards.

The story follows a 15-year-old boy named Vernon Little who lives in a small town in Texas. The book starts with Vernon sitting in the Sheriff's office waiting to be questioned about his involvement as an ‘accessory to murder’. We learn that this is to do with the tragedy following a school shooting the town recently has suffered, that killed many pupils. He is being questioned as the shooting was committed by Vernon’s close friend Jesus, who killed himself after shooting fellow classmates. The book is written in the first person and shows the thoughts of our protagonist as he continues life in Texas; these thoughts are often funny as they satirize the stereotypical Texan lifestyle. As the days pass the whole world seems to be against Vernon: he becomes a co-suspect to the shootings, and the media turns against him. The media coverage of Vernon is presented by someone called Mr. Ledesma, who appears first as a friend to Vernon but eventually turns against him.

With the whole world seemingly against him, Vernon decides to run away Mexico and get a house on a beach, something which he first heard about in the movies. On the bus ride to Mexico he stops off in Houston to meet his crush, Taylor. He tells her of his plans and wants her to join him. She says no, crushing his spirit. After this he continues onto Mexico. After a few days in Mexico he is caught and taken into custody. He later learns that he is being accused of almost every single murder in Texas since he ran away. He is put on trial with death penalty crimes in his name. I won’t spoil the story, so I’ll leave it at that.

I like this book as it gives a very honest and funny take on today’s world, from the opinion of someone of a similar age to me, with sometimes strong language, making it all very easy to relate to. It also tells the story of what it is like to have everyone against you. It has an exciting and page-turning plot that keeps you on edge every step of the way. It is one of the best books I have ever read, and a definite must-read recommendation.