Review: Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds & Illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff

Title: Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel

Author: Jason Reynolds

Illustrator: Danica Novgorodoff
Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Hardcover, 208 Pages
Published October 2020

Summary: Jason Reynolds’s Newbery Honor, Printz Honor, and Coretta Scott King Honor–winning, #1 New York Times bestselling novel Long Way Down is now a gripping, galvanizing graphic novel, with haunting artwork by Danica Novgorodoff. Will’s older brother, Shawn, has been shot. Dead. Will feels a sadness so great, he can’t explain it. But in his neighborhood, there are THE RULES: No. 1: Crying. Don’t. No matter what. No. 2: Snitching. Don’t. No matter what. No. 3: Revenge. Do.No matter what. But bullets miss. You can get the wrong guy. And there’s always someone else who knows to follow the rules…

I had wanted to read LONG WAY DOWN for the longest (ha) time, because I never got around to it with all of the review copies and new releases that I had to read for the blog. However, as soon as I saw that our local indie bookstore got copies of the new graphic novel version in stock, I made a trip over there to check it out. And let me tell you, I'm so glad that I did, because this book is so incredible and I will be recommending it to everyone for the foreseeable future. 

This book is about a young boy named Will, whose older brother has been shot dead. The entire story is told in the roughly sixty seconds it takes for Will to get from the 7th floor down to the lobby of his apartment building, where he then plans to go avenge his brother's murder by killing the man that shot him. But on the "long way down" to the lobby, Will encounters several different people who join him in the elevator -- none of whom he is expecting. And what they tell him and what he finds out may change Will's decision forever.

This book is a spectacular piece of art. That was my first thought when I sat down to write this review. To be honest, this entire review is probably going to be me saying much of the same over and over again, because that's really how I feel. I've loved a lot of books in my lifetime -- but very few stuck in my mind with the world spectacular. This is definitely one of them. In terms of the story itself, I was hooked. I read almost the entire book in one sitting, and I definitely would have continued to read well into the early morning if I hadn't had to go to bed for work. The people who get on that elevator with Will...I won't spoil anything for you, but all I will say is that their conversations with him really open up more of the story that nobody was expecting to see. By the time I finished this book, I had tears in my eyes. Very few books have ever truly moved me like that, but this was definitely one of them. Jason Reynolds is a master of telling stories in verse, and even with so few actual words on the page, so much is addressed and covered and explored. It was truly, truly beautiful. I don't even have any other words for it.

Being that this is the graphic novel version, of course I have to discuss the artwork as well. This entire graphic novel is done with watercolor artwork, which Danica Novgorodoff truly masters. There are some gorgeous scenes here. Seeing them interact with the words of Jason Reynolds really creates such a beautiful experience. There were some moments where I just stopped reading so I could run my fingers over the images, drinking them in, absorbing all of their pain and their beauty. It's truly spectacular. I shared some of them in one of our Instagram posts if you want to check them out yourself! It really made me wish I had some artistic talent like this, because the graphics truly took my breath away.

Overall, I absolutely loved LONG WAY DOWN. It was gut-wrenching, emotional, gorgeous, and truly just perfect. I think that I made the right choice by opting to read the graphic novel version, because in addition to the brilliant story, I got to see amazing watercolor artwork that really breathed life into Jason Reynolds's words. It's clear to me now, as I had suspected long before this, that he is one of the most incredible writers of our time. I'm truly in shock and awe, and I will be sharing this book with my friends, family, and peers for a long time to come. If this book isn't on your TBR already, then I can safely say that you are definitely missing out. I also recommend picking up the graphic novel version, because like I've said a million times in this review already, it really adds something spectacular to the piece. I hope you love this book just as much as I do!