Project X by Jim Shepard Book Review

High school is a time of friendships and memories one will cherish forever—except in the case of Edwin. Not only do neither apply, but high school is an endless worry of what will impact him on a day to day basis. In the novel Project X, Jim Shepard narrates from the perspective of an eighth grader named Edwin. Everyone around Edwin treats him like a social reject, which feeds him into believing that’s true. Edwin’s tone and word choice amongst his narrative and speech highlight what shapes the mind of an alienated teenager, proving that the language of the novel gives the reader a deeper understanding of what it’s like to be an outcast.

The tone throughout the novel creates an atmosphere of gloom. Feelings of defeat, anxiety, and isolation bring out the depression in Edwin’s narrative and speech. How he views himself and how he responds to issues and events amplifies that Edwin carries a sullen tone all around. Edwin acts as if he’s uninspired or disaffected by everything around him, though his mentality throughout says otherwise. After serving his parents with beer and pizza, they accuse him of delivering a pile of human faeces on his neighbour’s picnic table. Edwin snaps towards them and thinks to himself “Everything’s my fault. If anything goes wrong anywhere, I’m to blame.” (25). His emotion changes from unaffected to affected when his parents don’t believe him, resulting in Edwin’s emotion of defeat. The lack of trust between him and his parents makes Edwin feel like he is to blame. Thus, the disconnect from his parents results in him feeling lousy about himself and defeated. Furthermore, in his sullen mood, there are tones of distress. He exhibits anxiety while thinking about his ambitious plan to shoot up the school. The night before the shooting, Edwin is dealing with loud remarks from his surroundings and in his head. His frazzled thoughts narrate, “I have to get stuff together. I have to get organized. I don’t even know what to organized. I should make a list.” (148). He follows with a comment towards his brother, saying, “he’s losing his mind” (148). Shortly after, Edwin breaks down crying from anxiety over the plan. Panic is a result of bottled-up emotions that exhaust him, proving the way he’s treating internal issues affects him negatively. The reader acknowledges he is losing his mind in jumbled thoughts, and one cannot help but feel sorry for him. Lastly, Edwin’s depressive tone is evident when he responds to fighting with Flake. At the dinner table, his dad tries to get a conversation out of him, but Edwin is too depressed. The father asks, “so now you’re not eating?” (102). Besides his observation, his dad encourages him to talk by purposing the question, “can I tell you something?”, and Edwin replies with “no” (102). Edwin doesn’t have his friend around results in not eating or conversing with his family. The fight demonstrates Edwin distancing himself from those around him when he’s at his lowest. Without his friend, he is alone, and the saddened tone follows with Edwin’s actions. The melancholy that surrounds Edwin in his mindset and the way he responds to events and issues, sets a depressing tone that continues throughout the novel. 

The choice of words Edwin narrates and speaks in projects negativity within himself. His use of language describes the painful reality of a kid who is going through a dark time. Project X, comes from brainstorming what to write on a note he is putting in a box to bury. When describing his note, he says “I wrote PROJECT with a pair of crossbones underneath. They look like an X.” (99). The reader can assume the language seems innocent since it involves creativity amongst his mind, however, there is more darkness involved. Drawing the crossbones foreshadows the end of the novel. During the revolt of hatred towards the school, a part of Edwin’s life comes to an end. His only friend Flake who is his backbone, dies during the shooting. The outcome is not what Edwin had hoped for, and he has to deal with isolation without Flake. The innocent “X” Edwin spoke of, became his worst nightmare. Additionally, Edwin describes himself negatively after not going through with the school shooting. In the last scene, the reader captures Edwin at his lowest from his failure to live his life to satisfaction. His internal monologue beats himself up. The last sentence closes with a metaphor; “[I’m] a house burning down from the inside out” (164). Internally, he knows he will always be the kid who never finished what he started. His self-hatred became his destruction which set him ablaze. Despite the fact that Edwin is bullied from his teachers and classmate, the thought of living with himself in guilt because he couldn’t commit to the plan, along with being the only one to know the truth of the outcome, is the fire within. The language Edwin uses reveals the pain he suffers with from being an outcast.  

Project X illustrates Edwin’s life as an outcast through the depths of emotional tone and language demonstrated in his narrative and speech. The depressing narrative tone results from causing his own alienation by his behaviour and attitude towards himself, people, and events around him. The way he acts and treats others including himself presents signs of depression that further makes him feel alone. When disconnecting from his family and Flake, his compulsive negativity takes over him into feeling like everything is his fault. His feelings of defeat and anxiety burden him to be more isolated and result in intense destruction in his mind. The language complements the tone in the novel as it is equally depressing. From sketches symbolizing death, to his internal monologue filled with self-hatred, the reader can connect Edwin’s depressing thoughts to the cause of his alienation. The actions around him contribute to the emotions he has; however, Edwin fights a demon inside that fuels him with negativity.