Annie He/ Edge columnist
She Rides Shotgun is a crime novel written by Jordan Harper that was published in 2017. It is Harper’s first book and also the winner of the 2018 Edgar Award. The book’s setting is in California, America, and the entire story is told by shifting points of view of different characters.
The protagonists in the novel are an 11-year-old girl, Polly McClusky and her biological father, Nate McClusky, who has just been released from jail. Polly’s life is turned upside down, starting from when her dad picks her up after school. When Nate was in prison, he made enemies with members of a gang called Aryan Steel. The president of the gang, Crazy Craig Hollington, put Nate, his ex-wife and daughter on a greenlight, meaning they are the targets to be killed. To save Polly, Nate takes her away from where she originally lived and begins their adventure, fighting against gang members and evading the police. They also meet so many people with distinct personalities and backgrounds during their fight back, like detective John Park who has a righteous sense of justice, and Charlotte, who used to connect Aryan Steel’s criminals inside and outside the cell.
Harper not only erects various unique characters to make each plot coherent but also presents a good description of the protagonist’s characteristics. Polly has a pair of gunfighter eyes like her dad. Before meeting Nate, she was a scared, helpless little girl and the “prey on the playground of other kids,” but she always believed she was from Venus, “outside was quiet and calm but inside her acid winds roared.” While she stayed with her father, she learned many things that did not belong to her age, such as how to choke and box to protect herself. She has been living in the darkness and the “dirty air,” so she has changed but not turned into something wrong; instead, she has become brave, tough, and decisive.
However, the transition from good to bad in several supporting roles is too abrupt, it would be better if the writer added more plots to explain.
The themes of the book are about flawed humanity and crime, as well as some gloomy facts about the world, fighting, bleeding or being killed, but besides that, love, sacrifice and courage in a biological relationship are presented throughout the story.
There are no expressions of love between Polly and Nate’s dialogues, but the readers can easily feel it. Polly always wants to stay with Nate no matter how worse the situation gets. Nate is also a responsible father, and even though he has never touched the girl before coming out, he is willing to give his whole life to keep the girl safe. “She couldn’t lose him. He was all she had, and so he was all that mattered. She was also all he had anymore, and that meant she mattered.”
Some great writing technics are demonstrated by Harper that made the story more attractive and vivid. There is an inanimate but important character, a toy bear, held by Polly all the time. The author uses the action of the bear to somehow present Polly herself, something Polly wants to do but she can’t. Furthermore, the bear also pushes the emotional connection between the daughter and the father, making the story go smoothly.
She Rides Shotgun is a fast-paced and remarkable book for people who love crime novels. It is worth reading, especially the thrilling fight scenes and touching conversations would make readers addicted to it.
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