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Peter’s bitter first novel is a memoir written shortly after his brother Archie’s suicide. Through the haze of rage and grief that kind of tragedy must inspire, Peter recounts the events that lead to his brother’s demise to explain why he refuses to accept that Archie was to blame for his own death. His argument: That the ruling class keeps members of the lower class- such as his brother- oppressed and ignorant enough that Archie had little choice but to succumb to violence and drugs and eventually killed himself because of it.
A Rebel Life is set up in the usual memoir style, jumping back and forth between Peter’s reaction to his brother’s death and his memories of their fucked- up childhood. The passion and description that Peter puts into his writing is outstanding, but the plot gets kind of monotonous. Not that it’s not interesting- I definitely finished it in one night- but the present-tense parts have a short time span of three days, and his memories are focused almost exclusively on gangs, fights, and junkies.
But getting back to the main theme of this book: Who is to blame for Archie’s death? Peter’s answer is clearly “the rich,” but unfortunately, he never specifically points out who those enemies of his are. People who make over twenty grand a year, or the entire capitalist system? Assumedly because he is too overwhelmed with anger, Peter fails to focus that energy into any sort of productive social or political action. Instead, he starts thinking about the “street justice” he knew when he was younger, and obsesses over guns, blood, and revenge. It’s frustrating to read Peter’s murderous ranting, because I wanted him to rise above the same mentality that contributed to his brother’s suicide. And just after when I had given up hope that Peter wouldn’t come to that realization, he ends his obsession with getting even- and the book- with the sweetest revenge there is.
- Lauren, Ed.
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