The Executioner
Author: Jay Bennett
http://www.jacketflap.com/jay-bennett/70950
Main Characters:
- Bruce Kendall- Bruce is the main character of the story. For most of the story, Bruce is the narrator and tells what happens through his point of view. He is a high schooler who acts like an average teenager; he likes to go out to parties and drink. He is the best friends with Raymond Warner. Bruce is riding shotgun in the car with Bruce when he distracts Raymond, causing Raymond to crash the car and die. Due to the accident, Bruce had to have some plastic surgery done on his face and uses a cane. He has brown hair and brown eyes. His personality is protective and timid, and is very insecure.
- Raymond Warner- Raymond Warner is the best friend of Bruce Kendall. He one of the most important characters. He is a model citizen, makes great grades, is friendly, and could have a future in architecture. Raymond is driving the car with Bruce, Ed, and Elaine when they crash; Raymond is the only one killed, however, you learn early on in the story that it was not his fault.
- Oliver Warner- Oliver is the brother of Raymond and son of Dan. He is said to be tall, clever, and even mysterious. He is in college and is studying architecture.
- Dan Warner- Dan Warner is the Chief of Police of Cordell. He is also the father of Raymond and Oliver Warner. His personality is very stern and even mean. He does not care for Bruce.
- Ed Millman- Ed is a friend of Bruce and Raymond. He was in the car with Bruce, Raymond, and Elaine when Raymond crashed the car. Ed has "long black hair," and a "tall, slim build of a distance runner" (60). He is one pf the victims of "The Executioner."
- Elaine Ross- Elaine is a friend of Bruce and Raymond. She was in the car with Bruce, Raymond, and Elaine when Raymond crashed the car. She is one of the victims of "The Executioner." She likes to swim and boat.
Summary: In this story a boy named Bruce Kendall struggles with the guilt of accidentally killing his best friend. You find this out early on in the story as a lot of the novel is told in flashbacks. Bruce reminisces back on the night: him and his friends, Ed and Elaine, had been drinking while their designated driver, Raymond, tagged along. The four got into the car to go home when disorderly Bruce picked a fight with Raymond, his best friend, which causes the car to crash. All of the passengers escape with only minor injuries while Raymond is killed. In the present, long after the car crash, some strange events occur. The three characters who survived the car crash begin getting weird phone calls from a stranger. One afternoon, while alone, Ed dies in a fire in the school locker room; his death was noted as an accident because Ed smokes and the locks on the changing room lock from the outside; a naive mistake. Not too long after Ed's death, Elaine is found dead in a pond. The police report said she died of drowning. Bruce thinks someone is out to get him; he realizes he is the only victim of the car crash that has not died or been killed. The climax of the story occurs when Bruce and Oliver, Raymond's brother, go out and meet at an abandoned house. You realize that the deaths of Ed and Elaine were not accidental and that it was actually Oliver trying to get vengeance for his brother's death. Oliver tries to kill Bruce but is stopped by Oliver's father, the County Sheriff. The resolution occurs when Oliver is locked up and Bruce finally gains closure.
https://docs.google.com/a/jcsnc.org/drawings/d/1n27ecBKajGNuwjppIFOgorMjerXUG6ZGybW3Gur0Z0A/edit
