Vernon God Little
A 21st Century Comedy in the Presence of Death
This novel from 2003 is the Booker Prize winning debut novel of Australian-born author DBC Pierre, the pseudonym used by Peter Finlay (Adelaide, 1962). "DBC" stands for Dirty But Clean
• Setting
The book does not mention when the story takes place exactly, so we can assume it takes place in the present.
In the first part of the book, the story takes place in Vernon’s hometown Martirio. Later it continues in Mexico, then in Harris County and at the end back again in Martirio.
The people from Martirio obviously don’t have a lot of money. Vernon and his mother are way behind with paying the bills and Vernon describes the houses in town as looking kind of poor.
• Plot
The title character is a fifteen-year-old boy who lives in a small town in the U.S. state of Texas. When his friend his friend Jesus Navarro commits suicide after killing sixteen bullying schoolmates, suspicion falls on Vernon, who becomes something of a scapegoat in his small hometown of Martirio. Fearing the death penalty, he goes on the run to Mexico.
• Structure
The book is divided into 27 chapters which are not named. It also consists out of five acts though and they do have names.
Act 1: Shit happened
You discover what happened and why he is in trouble.
Act 2: How I spent my summer vacation
He spends all his time figuring out a way to get to Mexico.
Act 3: Against all odds
He travels with the Mexicans and makes it to Acapulco, but then suddenly gets backstabbed by Taylor and he is arrested again.
Act 4: How my summer vacation spent me
He spends all his time in prison or court and in the end gets the death penalty.
Act 5: Me ves y sufres
He is almost executed but gets rescued just in time. During his time in prison he tattooed “me ves y sufres” on his chest, which means “you see me and suffer”. He learned that sentence from Pelayo, a Mexican truck driver.
Exposition: The whole first part of the book, when he is not a real suspect yet and is out of jail most of the time has no tension. In this part he describes the circumstances in which he lives.
Inciting Incident: From the point where he gets caught trying to take his firearm, it gets clear how much he has to get out of town but his attempts to leave keep failing. The tension builds up.
Rising Action: Taylor gets him arrested and he is being accused of a lot of murders.
Climax: He gets the death penalty and the reader thinks he will die.
Falling Action: He gets saved and it becomes clear he is not guilty and will live.
Resolution: He and Ella leave for Mexico (and live happily ever after?)
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