Heroes / Robert Cormier

Heroes (1998) is a short novel by American author Robert Cormier aimed at teenagers. The book is set in Frenchtown, New Jersey during World War II. The novel focuses on the protagonist, Francis Joseph Cassavant's return to Frenchtown after coming back disfigured from the war. The book has many themes that deal with revenge and anger, along with the social aspects and people's perception of what a 'hero' actually is. Francis has facial injuries after jumping on a grenade. His highschool crush, Nicole, gets raped by his mentor, Larry LaSalle. Because of this, Francis seeks revenge. In the end, when he meets Larry, he cannot bring himself to kill Larry and walks away. As he leaves the building he hears a gunshot from Larry's room, revealing that Larry has shot himself. After the ordeal he visits Nicole who tells him that staying in touch is a bad idea because of the memories.