#Apologize

Abstract

Mass shootings in the United States have become common, as has the media response to them. This novel investigates the fictional story of one such shooting and the life of its perpetrator, Gray Jenkins, in the weeks leading up to the attack. Using alternating points of view, it begins with Gray's life in New York with flashbacks to his Virginia childhood and abusive relationship with older brother, James. The narrative moves to Gray's childhood home and investigates the perspectives of his family as they encounter him for the first time in three years. In the final section of the novel, a curated collection of news media and journal entries from Gray's mother, Carolyn, tells the post-attack story. This novel explores themes of blame, guilt, and regret as it grapples with the contemporary problem of mass tragedy in the United States.