Synopsis: Jerry Renault ponders the question on the poster in his locker: Do I dare disturb the universe? Refusing to sell chocolates in the annual Trinity school fund-raiser may not seem like a radical thing to do. But when Jerry challenges a secret school society called The Vigils, his defiant act turns into an all-out war. Now the only question is: Who will survive?
Review: Wew, The Chocolate War is quite a ride. This book is quite slow and it's more character driven than anything else. We follow a number of kids in a secret group called the Vigils. Jerry can be described as a protagonist or an antagonist, but he is certainly the focal point of the story. Archie is the leader of the Vigils. There's also a kid who goes by The Goober and he is a member of the Vigils who watches the events unfold. There are more characters we spend time with including teachers at Trinity and other students. None of the characters feel unnecessary. They all keep the story going and they all have interesting perspectives in the book.
The story in The Chocolate War feels simplistic. A teacher at Trinity messed up and is forcing students to go above and beyond for their annual chocolate sale. Enter Jerry who, as a member of the Vigils, was told to not accept the chocolates to sell for a certain length of time. Then, Jerry takes that assignment and decides to never take the chocolate at all. He is, at one time, defying the Vigils and Trinity school itself. What this book does well is show how sinister schools can be and how teachers can even be manipulated by charming students like Archie. I described Jerry as a protagonist and an antagonist because the way he refuses to sell the chocolates throughout the story makes him feel like an antagonist. There is a scene where bullies try to upset Jerry by calling him gay. This scene can be extremely hard for anyone who identifies with this term. It is a form of bullying meant to be used in a hurtful way. While I do enjoy this book, I wanted to acknowledge that scene in case anyone wants to avoid it.
Dark but interesting story about bullying and abuse of power.
4 howls
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