An imprisoned person has plenty of time to think. Convict Tommy McConnell spends his time in the Rhode Island penal system investigating rumors about prison’s fabled “forever young prisoner”–an inmate kept deep beneath the jail who, though he’s been there for nearly 100 years, still looks like a young man. Tommy’s quest to separate fact from fiction about the man (or myth) take him on a perilous journey involving crooked guards (“Black Hats”), long-lost mafia secrets, and dangerous fellow inmates.
Author Marcus Lessard’s THE FOREVER YOUNG PRISONER could pass as a Young Adult novel if not for the drug use and salty language. The characters and motivations are clear, and the story is straightforward and uncomplicated by distracting subplots. The author has a breezy style that works well with Tommy’s slang-heavy narration. Tommy and his gang of misfit friends are funny, likable heroes, and Lessard even crafts a compelling backstory for forever-young prisoner Henry Heck. At the heart of the book is an old-fashioned murder mystery that seems more at home in an Agatha Christie or Ruth Rendell novel rather than rubbing elbows with the crew of drug addicts, miscreants, and gang-bangers Lessard has assembled. The story combines the injustice of Alexandre Dumas’ The Man in the Iron Mask, the magic realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and the “hope-lives-in-prison” themes explored by Stephen King in The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. But Lessard’s narrative voice is gritty, authentic, and uniquely his own.
It’s also clear that Lessard understands life “inside,” where prison cliques determine your social standing and junk food is currency. It’s important to “do your time, but not let the time do you.” As such, the author has crafted a tale of purpose, perseverance, and the importance of family–both those who share your blood and those who share your beliefs. Tommy’s hard work and good humor pay off with an unexpected win for the “White Hats.” Is Henry in good hands under Tommy’s tutelage? Heck, no! But wherever they’re headed, they’re sure to have fun. THE FOREVER YOUNG PRISONER is not a sophisticated novel, but it is well written and engaging.
A simple story well told, Marcus Lessard’s THE FOREVER YOUNG PRISONER combines an old-fashioned mystery with gritty prison fiction.
~Rob Errera for IndieReader