The Rag and Bone Shop

Author: Robert Cormier
Published: 2001, Delacorte
154 pages

I wanted to read another book by Cormier because I was largely unimpressed by his most famous work, The Chocolate War, and I wanted to give him another chance before writing him off.  I chose this one because I figured if I didn't like it, it was only 154 pages of my time.  The writing style that I found so gripping in The Chocolate War, combined with a story line that contained at least some realistic characters made this a much more enjoyable read for me.

The majority of the book takes place inside a small police interrogation room, where master interrogator Trent grills the introverted and clearly innocent 12-year-old Jason about the recent murder of Jason's 7-year-old friend Alicia.  We know Jason is innocent from the outset of the story and Trent quickly determines that for himself as well, but what Trent also knows is that he is fully capable of forcing a confession out of this vulnerable young boy.  And with a job advancement within his reach, Trent knows that getting a confession in such a high profile murder case would greatly enhance his standing with the department as well as local political officials.

It was wildly frustrating to see Jason, a shy boy who just wants to give the "right" answer and help out, be completely taken advantage of and backed into a corner.  In this respect, Trent is a character a lot like the overwhelmingly evil characters Cormier created in The Chocolate War; but, unlike them, Trent does still have some redeeming qualities.  Cormier must have really done his research before writing this book, because it is chock-full of interesting facts about body language, patterns of speech, and interrogation techniques.

With a semi-surprise ending and Cormier's intense and suspenseful writing style, this one was definitely a win for me.  I will definitely re-read it if I ever plan on committing a heinous crime and need some tips about how to behave in an interrogation room.  Besides that, I think I'll branch out a bit in Cormier-Land because I just read about a bunch of his other books and they seem to have more in common with this one (murder, criminals, and violence) than The Chocolate War (prep school, boys, and priests).