A Long Way Down

The underwriting throughout the book is the question of whether or not to kill one’s self. The characters ponder their individual existences and what that means within the frame of the world they know—modern-day London. While the characters are aware of their sources of unhappiness, they turn to the idea of suicide as a coping mechanism instead of taking direct action to address their issues. There are frequent hints in the narrative that no one who lives has a life so happy that they never contemplate suicide. This is highlighted in JJ’s quote: “People who get by aren’t so far away from being suicidal. Maybe I shouldn’t find that as comforting as I do” (324). He also says near the beginning of the book that wanting to die might simply be part of life.

At times, they frame their unique situations against one another’s. While JJ diminishes his grievances with his own life in comparison to his new comrades, Jess is slightly mocked for wanting to die after her breakup. When the four witness a man kill himself on Valentine’s day, their perspectives shift as they both realize and reconcile how their intent to die was not as extreme as they wanted to believe.