Soldier, le protagoniste, est un personnage attachant. Enfant, il est choyé et aimé par ses grands parents mais il souffre terriblement de voir une mère qui se détruit chaque jour un peu plus, addict à l'oxycodone.
À la mort de ses grands parents, le voici seul avec cette mère qui ne vit que pour ses pilules roses et qui oublie qu'elle a un rôle de mère à jouer.
Soldier sera le chef de famille. Toutefois, rien ne sera simple. Il dealera pour régler les factures.
Un jour alors que sa mère dérobera les économies de son fils qui devaient servir à fuir cette ville maudite avec elle, Soldier munis des pilules achetées par sa pitoyable mère va au plus vite vendre pour récupérer la somme nécessaire pour le loyer mais un drame se produit, son meilleur ami Billy gobe une des pilules roses et fait une overdose.
Soldier sera condamné à 10 ans de prison.
Dix longues années durant lesquelles personne ne lui rendra visite hormis sa mère, à deux reprises, pour lui indiquer qu'elle ne souhaitait plus le revoir.
Harry, un gardien, deviendra son ami, son père, son confident.
À sa sortie, de nouvelles rencontres changeront sa vie mais il devra retrouver les personnes de son passé et s'en sortir.
Histoire émouvante.
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With another sigh, Harry wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled my body against his. Then, he said, “Soldier, do you know how many other people would’ve died had Billy not taken that pill?” I swallowed and blinked away the tears. “I never thought about that.” “Your heart is so good, and your intentions were as well—as twisted as they might’ve been. But if you had taken those bottles and sold even just ten pills to ten kids, that would’ve been the blood of ten people on your hands. And while it still wouldn’t have been your fault they were laced, you would still be in prison, maybe even for the rest of your life. And there is more to your story than that, Soldier. I promise you. There is a reason Billy took that pill before you had the chance to sell any—he saved you.”
Billy's mom wasn't like mine. She was more like Gramma. She baked cookies and cooked dinners and did the laundry. She brought snacks to school and went on class trips. Sometimes, I wondered what it was like to have a mom more like her, but I never really thought about it for too long.
I couldn’t begin to imagine what my life would be like without books. Where would I be now had I not had those fictional friends to hold my hand and imagination captive? What would I have done differently if I’d always been fully submerged in the tumultuous, awful reality of my life?
I glanced at the older guy beside me and said, “Harry, I dunno why the hell you’re doing all this for me, but … thank you. I know I’ve said it already, but really, I mean it. Thank you.” He peered at me from over his silver frames, then smiled. “Good people deserve good things, Soldier, and it’s about time someone showed you that.