Reading Response #3: Solitary

    

     This book is the second in a series called escape from furnace. It’s about a boy who is framed for murdering his best friend and is sent to Furnace, an underground prison made for murderers under the age of eighteen. The second book starts with him attempting to escape by blowing a whole in the wall to expose an underground river. They jump in not caring what could happen only feeling elated to get away from the horrors of Furnace. But, this only gets them so far and they are recaptured and placed in solitary.  Above is a picture of what I imagine the river to look like (without the person of course). It’s very fast and leaves them battered with no food. Alex, Zee, and Gary make their way through the cave but, as most hopes are in Furnace it was stopped short when they fell right back in the hands of the guards. Gary was injured and dragged to the infirmary while Zee and Alex were taken to solitary confinement.

      “All it needed was me, and my fear. Because alone in the silence, in the unfathomable darkness, I knew that my own thoughts would drive me mad. My own mind would kill me.”

     This quote shows what it’s like in the complete darkness of solitary. It’s a small hole carved in the rock in the shape of a rectangle that consists only of a small grate in the floor and a huge metal door on top. Once it’s closed you’re shut in complete darkness with only your own dark thoughts to keep you company. Alex was able to escape from Furnace once but can he survive being locked in with his demons?