Hadrian's Walls

Robert Draper

Hadrian grew up in a prison town, Sheperdsville, in east Texas. At age 15, he murdered a local corrupt judge in order to save his friend's life. He was convicted to a 50 year sentence for manslaughter. After serving 15 years, he was awarded parole. Then he was attacked by another convict and killed the man in self defense. Rather than face more time in prison, Hadrian escaped.

Finally his friend, Sonny, managed to obtain his pardon. Hadrian is able to return to the home of his youth. Something is going on in Sheperdsville. Sonny is now in charge of the prison system. Hadrian still feels guilty and unsettled. Sonny does nothing to reassure him. Instead, Sonny asks a favor of Hadrian.

This is a complicated story of friendship, revenge, debts, and self knowledge. The story of Hadrian's past is told in flashbacks in the first half of the novel. The second half resolves his and Sonny's relationship. Hadrian may have escaped the prison's walls, but his own self imposed walls hamper him.

This is a story of the good ol' boy prison network and friends in Texas. It has the redneck flavor expected with the social improvements expected in the 80's and 90's. The language is raw; the relationships are complicated. At first it was difficult to get into, yet I was drawn in. I wanted to know what compelled these characters. Was Hadrian going to trap himself forever, or would he find a way to overcome those walls? How has Sonny helped him erect those barriers? And how will Sonny help him overcome them?