The Hit - Melvin Burgess

A drug called Death is hitting the streets of Manchester, England.  When you take Death it gives you the ultimate high for seven days and then you die.  Adam and his girlfriend Lizzie are at a Jimmy Earle concert.  There have been rumors going around he took Death a week ago and tonight is when he's supposed to die.  When Jimmy dies onstage there are riots in the streets.  Death is being handed out freely to everyone including Adam and Lizzie.  They decide to live their lives and not have just a week left to live, so they throw the Death away.  They make it back to their homes where the rioting in the streets is the main news story.  Lizzie is grounded by her dad, but that won't stop her from seeing Adam the next night at a party her cousin Julie is throwing.  While Adam looks forward to seeing Lizzie again, a note is dropped off saying his brother Jess is dead.  His parents are devastated and all Adam has left to escape this life is Lizzie.  After Adam and Lizzie arrive at the party Julie pulls Lizzie away and tries to get her to dump Adam for a rich boyfriend.  Lizzie doesn't want to dump Adam, and can't convince Julie otherwise.  She goes and finds Adam who took a big hit of XL5, which has made him high as a kite.  As they leave the party Adam wants to go and have sex with Lizzie.  Lizzie wants their first time to be in a romantic setting instead of some random place.  They get into a fight and Lizzie gets a ride home.  Adam goes and finds Garry, a friend of Jess's, to see if he knows what happened to Jess.  Adam takes a bag of Death from Garry and heads home.  He feels like there's nothing left for him and he takes the Death pill.  The next morning he wakes up in a euphoric state because of Death.  He heads over to Lizzie's and she realizes he took Death.  Adam has a bucket list of things to do in the next week.  Lizzie agrees to help him do everything on the list.  After they have sex Adam gets a call from Jess, who he thought was dead.  Jess wants the bag of Death Adam stole from Garry.  Adam gives it back and tells Jess he took one of the pills.  Adam asks if their is an antidote.  Jess tells him no there isn't.  The next day Adam and Lizzie rob a liquor store.  Adam gets caught and taken to the police station where his parents have to bail him out.  Lizzie escapes and contacts Christian, a guy she met at Julie's party, to find out if their truly is a cure for Death.  Christian tells her that she has to sleep with him and the antidote is hers.  Lizzie heads over and Christian holds her hostage.  He forces her take Death.  Is this truly the end for Adam and Lizzie, or is there really an antidote out there?

I enjoyed this book and I was a bit surprised at the ending.  It was a good surprise to conclude the story.  The book gives us a reminder to live life to the fullest.  There will be pain, suffering, and/or loss in our lives, but finding a quick way out isn't the answer even if it seems like there is nothing left to live for.

T.B.
4/18/14