All Involved

Set in South Central Los Angeles in 1992, during the six days of rioting sparked by the Rodney King verdict, this violent, visceral novel from Gattis (Kung Fu High School) chronicles the intersecting lives of a diverse cast of characters caught up in the chaos, from business owners and nurses to drug dealers and gang members, the last of whom use the anarchy as an opportunity to take vengeance on those who have done them wrong. The narrative is replete with disturbing imagery—like a firefighter getting his face crushed by a cinder block—but the emotionally detached tone lessens the impact. In the end, this isn’t a story about the events of the L.A. riots or even the people involved—it’s about the city and its ability to rise from the ashes and re-create itself into “something broken and pretty and new.” Like the historical events it’s based on, this page-turner is horrific, heartrending, and—maybe—just a bit hopeful. [em]Agent: Simon Lipskar, Writers House. (Apr.) [/em]