Long Way Down

Shawn Holloman is Will’s older brother. At the beginning of the novel he is shot and killed, likely by a member of the Dark Suns. Shawn grew on the street, adhering to The Rules—he killed Frick, the man who killed his mentor, Buck. Shawn inherited Buck’s gun and used it to avenge his death. Shawn is tough but loving; Will looks up to him, and is so grief-stricken after Shawn’s death that he doesn’t know how to cope. At the end of the novel Shawn’s ghost finally sheds tears. His ability to grieve openly, to show his younger brother how to express emotion without violence, is a pivotal point in the novel, as it allows Will to try following another path.

Will and Shawn’s mother is another minor character, though her skin condition symbolizes a much larger and more universal pain. She has eczema and often scratches herself bloody when in pain or stressed. Her grief over Shawn’s death leads to scratch her arms bloody. Will explains the symbolic nature of her condition later, saying, “A dumb thing to say / would’ve been to / tell Buck how important / that soap was / that it stopped Mom from / scraping loose a river / of wounds” (255). His mother’s skin condition represents all the wounds mothers in this neighborhood carry with them. The death of her son is the final straw in this saga of pain.

Carlson Riggs is Shawn’s childhood friend, with a loud mouth but a small build. He wants to be considered tough, like other guys on the street, so he tells Shawn that he joined the Dark Suns. Just before Shawn’s death, he runs his mouth to Shawn, telling him to stay off the block where Shawn must go to buy his mother’s medicated soap. Will assumes that Riggs shot Shawn, so he targets Riggs for his revenge shooting.

Buck is Shawn’s mentor. He took care of Shawn after his father, Mikey Holloman, was killed. Buck is a petty thief who was raised by his stepfather, a kind-hearted, community-oriented preacher. Buck has some of his stepfather preacher in him but ultimately takes after his biological father, a notorious bank robber. Frick kills Buck while attempting to rob him—Buck fights back, and Frick shoots him in the stomach. Shawn avenges Buck’s death, killing Frick with Buck’s gun.

Dani is Will’s childhood crush. She is beautiful, and he doesn’t recognize her as an adult when they meet in the elevator. Dani was Will’s first kiss—soon after that kiss, Dani was killed in a neighborhood shooting. She was only eight years old, and Will watched the light leave her eyes while Shawn covered them with his body, trying to shield them both from the bullets. Dani reminds Will that even though he intends revenge, bullets can harm innocent people.

Uncle Mark is Mikey Holloman’s brother. Will doesn’t have a strong memory of Mark because he was so young when Mark died, though he recognizes him from pictures. Mark is stylish and suave, with perfectly polished shoes and a cigarette behind his ear. He was an amateur cinematographer, and Will’s mother met his father through one of Mark’s movie projects. When Mark lost his video camera he decided to sell drugs to get money for a new one. After a month of selling, another man killed him to take his corner. Mark pushes Will to imagine killing another person, to picture himself doing it. He forces Will to imagine enacting revenge and living with the realities of what comes after.

Mikey Holloman, Will and Shawn’s father (whom they call Pop), wraps Will in a hug when he boards the elevator. Will was too young to remember his father’s death, so Pop tells him the story. After Mark died, Mikey was too grief-stricken to manage. He took his gun, went to the corner where Mark used to sell, and waited to witness a drug deal. He shot the dealer, assuming it must be Mark’s killer, but he was wrong. Instead, he shot Gee, a no-name flunky of the real killer who was trying to make his way up in a gang. Soon after, Mikey was shot in the head at a phone booth. Will was only three years old when he died. Mikey loves his son, and Will is relieved—until Mikey takes the gun out of Will’s waistband and puts it to his head. Will panics and pees his pants. He wonders if his father might really kill him, but Mikey is trying to teach his son what it will feel like when whoever avenges Riggs comes after him.