Vernon God Little

Vernon God Little, published in the year 2003, is the winner of the Man Booker Prize. The story revolves around a 15-year-old American teenager, Vernon Little, who lives in a small town in Texas who is the narrator of the story. Vernon’s best friend, Jesus Navarro, shoots down sixteen high school students and then kills himself. The cops suspect that Vernon is an accomplice and take him into custody. Deputy Vaine Gurie questions Vernon and the latter completely cooperates with the police. However, it soon becomes clear to him that he might be given the death penalty despite being innocent. Like any other frightened teenager, he decides to run away to Mexico. His plan is to live on the beach, in a cabin, just like he had seen in a film titled Against All Odds. However, the cops and the media run after him and they manage to track him down. Vernon is brought back to Texas and is put on trial. The teenager is now labeled as the state’s most notorious serial killer. What will the protagonist do to get out of this mess? Will he be able to do anything at all or will he be prosecuted for a crime he did not commit? Vernon God Little has been written in beautiful and lucid language. The author has added elements of dark comedy to this novel. He also throws light on controversial topics like school shootings, media turning tragedies into entertainment, and the death penalty for those under 18. This book shows readers that just for the sake of sensationalism, more often than not, innocent lives are jeopardized forever. Vernon God Little has also won the Bollinger Wodehouse Everyman Prize for Comic Fiction, and also the Whitbread Awards. The book was adapted into a stage play in 2007.