Plot
1. Why does Will leave his apartment at the beginning of the book and where is he going?
To get revenge for his brother Shawn's death.
5. What is the importance of meeting Dani in the elevator? What happened to her?
Dani brings Will back to his childhood memories and shows that innocent people are impacted by gun violence. She was shot by a stray bullet.
10. What specific form of writing is LWD written in and how is it different from a regular novel?
It is written in verse which is different than a regular novel written in prose.
16. What writing style or genre convention is used when the ghosts appear in the elevator?
Magical Realism; introducing supernatural elements into a realistic setting.
21. Explain Will's internal conflict between honoring his brother and deciding whether or not to shoot someone.
He wants to follow "the Rules" and avenge Shawn's death but is questioning if it is the right thing to do or even if he has the right person in mind. The reality of revenge is weighing on him.
2. What item does Will take with him when he leaves, and who did it belong to?
He takes Shawn's gun.
6. What does Uncle Mark try to get Will to realize about his plan for revenge?
He wants him to realize that shooting Riggs is not the end of the story. The cycle will always continue.
11. Why does the author use short lines and brief sections instead of paragraphs?
He does this to mimic Will's brain that has just gone through trauma. It also highlights the 60 second elevator ride.
17. Why does the author reveal details about the characters slowly over time instead of all at once?
He does this to deconstruct Will's belief in "the Rules". It makes him question them.
22. Which character in the elevator challenges Will's beliefs the most, and what do they say or do to make him think?
Will's dad Mikey (Pop) changes his mind the most. He confesses to his major mistake and forces Will to feel physical fear and terror.
3. What are "the Rules" of the neighborhood?
1. No crying
2. No snitching
3. Get revenge
8. What is the main conflict or decision that Will struggles with throughout the elevator ride?
He struggles with the decision to avenge his brothers death and shoot Carlson Riggs.
12. What literary device is created by the elevator continuously moving downward floor by floor?
It is an extended metaphor for Will's internal conflict (emotional/moral descent).
18. What main lesson or message does the novel teach about revenge and violence?
Revenge and violence are endless; it is a cycle that only traps more grief, trauma and death.
23. Why is the book titled Long Way Down? What does the title mean physically and symbolically?
The author stretches out a one minute ride down an elevator into a psychological journey. Will descends into his grief and trauma and questions the cycle of violence.
4. Who is the first ghost that Will meets in the elevator and how does Will know him?
Buck is the first ghost. Will knows him from the neighborhood. He took Shawn under his wing.
9. How does Will's view of his brother Shawn change by the end of the elevator ride?
He sees Shawn crying and breaking "the Rules". He sees that he is vulnerable and not the tough-as-nails person he thought he was.
13. What does the elevator's downward movement symbolize or represent?
It could be the descent into doom, cycle of violence, downward emotional spiral, his journey toward a life-and-death situation.
19. All of the ghosts in the elevator died from violence. What does this show about whether "the Rules" actually work?
24. Who owned the gun before Will got it and what does the gun symbolize?
It was Shawn's gun. It shows the the gun is passed down from person to person just like gun violence.
7. Why is the elevator such an important setting for the story?
It is a symbol of confinement, almost like a casket, between life and death, confined, trapped
15. Why are Will's thoughts and memories broken up into small pieces on the page?
It shows his chaotic mental state and reflects his trauma.
14. Why does Reynolds repeat certain words and phrases over and over in the book?
He does this to emphasize something important.
20. How does Dani's death challenge Will's belief that revenge is the right thing to do?
It shows him that innocent victims are effected by the endless violence.
25. Why do you think the author ends the book with the question "You Coming?" without showing what Will decides to do?
Reynolds puts the choice entirely on Will (and the reader). He forces him to make a moral choice.