I Know What You Did Last Summer (novel)
Encyclopedia
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1973
) is a suspense novel
for young adults by Lois Duncan
.
that says "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER!", sinisterly reminding her of the previous summer when she and her friends, Ray Bronson, Barry Cox and Helen Rivers, killed a ten year old boy on a bicycle in a hit-and-run
accident, before covering it up, which they swore to keep it secret until their deaths. She goes to Helen about this. Helen thinks it is just a joke from a stalker. However, Barry, Helen's womanizing boyfriend, thinks it is Ray making a joke in which Helen agrees. Julie, not convinced by Barry, returns to her house, of whom Ray is in. Ray tells her he still has feelings for her. They had been dating, but they broke up when Ray had gone out to California and Julie continued to attend high school, and hopes to attend Smith University when she graduates. She reveals she has no feelings for him anymore. Ray leaves, just after meeting Bud, whom is now dating Julie.
It is revealed that shortly after the night of the incident, Helen was chosen via a beauty contest to be the Channel Five Golden Girl, meaning she would be the studio's new television personality, much to the fury of Elsa, her sullen, envious and unattractive elder sister. At the Four Seasons, a luxury apartment complex where she lives, Helen is suntanning when she meets a boy, Collingsworth "Collie" Wilson. After she is done talking to Collie, she goes to her apartment and finds a magazine cut out of a boy riding a bicycle taped to the door.
Meanwhile, Ray is at his house and is sent a newspaper article about the boy they had killed - Daniel Gregg. In the clipping it is revealed that his parents are Mr. and Mrs. Michael Gregg. Afterwords, the book takes the reader into a memory of Ray's, in which his father commented on his life; about having a popular football friend (Barry) and a cheerleader girlfriend (Julie) and Ray's father first meeting Barry. Ray then remembers about the day it happened, in which they ran over Daniel Gregg and then called for help from a phone booth.
On Memorial Day, Barry receives a call. After he hangs up, he walks out of the University frat house where he lives. As it is dark, he does not see too well and is shot. When Ray finds out, he calls St. Joseph's Hospital to ask how Barry is doing. He is told that Barry is in surgery. Helen finds out about Barry being shot when she is in the TV studio. When Collie finds out about Barry he immediately goes to the studio to pick up Helen and take her to the hospital. When They Reach the hospital Helen and Collie are sent away by Barry's mother. Barry's mother accuses Helen of calling Barry and getting him shot.
After Julie finds out, she receives a phone call from Ray asking if they could discuss what has been happening. She agrees to go with him. During the discussion the only thing the agree on is the shooter is not Helen. Then Julie suggests going to the Gregg's house to see if it is one of Daniel's family members who are coming after them. After a little debating Ray agrees to go.
When Ray and Julie get to the house they use the excuse they had car trouble to get in the house. Megan Gregg lets them in. Ray goes to her kitchen and fakes making a call while Julie talks to Megan. While Julie and Megan talk, it is revealed that Megan is Daniel Gregg's sister. Megan also says that her mother broke down after Daniel's death and was sent to a hospital in Las Lunas. Her father moved to be close to her mother. To comfort her, Julie reveals she had lost her father at a young age. After Ray is done making his fake call, Ray and Julie leave. When they get back to the car, Julie confirms it obviously wasn't the Gregg family and tells Ray what she found out. They decide to go to Helen's apartment and tell her what they had learned from Megan. Elsa is at the aparment, tormenting Helen about the attack on Barry and reluctantly leaves after Julie and Ray arrive. Julie suggests it may be Elsa responsible for the threats and the shooting, as she has always resented Helen, and may have learned about it by accident, as Helen used to share a room with her. Ray calls the Cox family at the hospital. He finds out that since Barry was shot in the spine, he has paralysis and it may be permanent.
Ray then goes to the hospital and sneaks in to see Barry. While there Ray tries to talk Berry into dissolving the pact. After Barry says no and lies that the shooting was a robbery and nothing to do with the accident, Ray leaves the hospital. Barry however thinks back to the night of the shooting, where he was lured out by an anonymous phone call, telling him that the caller had photographic evidence of the accident and would give the photos to Barry in exchange for money. Barry fell for it and was lured out and shot.
On the way out of the hospital Ray sees Bud and they decide to go have coffee together. While they talk over coffee Ray says that he will get Julie back. Bud challenges him then says Julie will not go to Smith because of him. Later Helen meets Collie in her apartment, who reveals himself to be Daniel's older brother. He tells Helen that he was the one that shot Barry and is the one that left the picture on her door. He then tells her that he is going to kill her. She immediately runs to the bathroom and locks the door. When Collie begins to take the door off the hinges so that he can get in, Helen jumps out the window.
Julie prepares to go on a date with Bud, but then decides to stay home when her mother says she is worried and would like her to stay home. When she tells Bud, he convinces her to at least walk him to his car so they can talk. When they get to the car, he reveals that his name is really Collingsworth Wilson and that he was Daniel's brother. He tells Julie that he found out who had run down his little brother by asking a man who sold Julie the flowers she sent to Daniel's funeral. He then starts to choke her. Julie is to the point of passing out when Ray saves her by beating Collie with a flashlight. Collie is taken to jail. When the paramedics show up, they tell Julie and Ray about Helen's accident. Helen sent them to Julie's house saying there would be someone trying to kill her. Julie then asks Ray how he knew and he tells her that Barry called earlier and released him from the pact. After the phone call he realized who Bud was. Then Julie asks why Bud never did anything to Ray, and he answers, "He did, tonight. He knew the worst thing would be living in a world without you."
by Kevin Williamson, creator of the Scream film series
. However, Lois Duncan was barred from the set, and upon seeing the finished production, was deeply unhappy with the outcome.
1973 in literature
The year 1973 in literature involved several significant events and the writing of many notable books.-Events:*September 25 - The funeral of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda becomes a focus for protests against the new government of Augusto Pinochet...
) is a suspense novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
for young adults by Lois Duncan
Lois Duncan
Duncan is best known for her novels of suspense for teenagers. Some of her works have been adapted for the screen, the most famous example being the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer, adapted from her novel of the same title...
.
Plot summary
High school senior Julie James receives a mysterious note from an elusive stalkerStalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
that says "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER!", sinisterly reminding her of the previous summer when she and her friends, Ray Bronson, Barry Cox and Helen Rivers, killed a ten year old boy on a bicycle in a hit-and-run
Hit and run (vehicular)
Hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic accident , and failing to stop and identify oneself afterwards...
accident, before covering it up, which they swore to keep it secret until their deaths. She goes to Helen about this. Helen thinks it is just a joke from a stalker. However, Barry, Helen's womanizing boyfriend, thinks it is Ray making a joke in which Helen agrees. Julie, not convinced by Barry, returns to her house, of whom Ray is in. Ray tells her he still has feelings for her. They had been dating, but they broke up when Ray had gone out to California and Julie continued to attend high school, and hopes to attend Smith University when she graduates. She reveals she has no feelings for him anymore. Ray leaves, just after meeting Bud, whom is now dating Julie.
It is revealed that shortly after the night of the incident, Helen was chosen via a beauty contest to be the Channel Five Golden Girl, meaning she would be the studio's new television personality, much to the fury of Elsa, her sullen, envious and unattractive elder sister. At the Four Seasons, a luxury apartment complex where she lives, Helen is suntanning when she meets a boy, Collingsworth "Collie" Wilson. After she is done talking to Collie, she goes to her apartment and finds a magazine cut out of a boy riding a bicycle taped to the door.
Meanwhile, Ray is at his house and is sent a newspaper article about the boy they had killed - Daniel Gregg. In the clipping it is revealed that his parents are Mr. and Mrs. Michael Gregg. Afterwords, the book takes the reader into a memory of Ray's, in which his father commented on his life; about having a popular football friend (Barry) and a cheerleader girlfriend (Julie) and Ray's father first meeting Barry. Ray then remembers about the day it happened, in which they ran over Daniel Gregg and then called for help from a phone booth.
On Memorial Day, Barry receives a call. After he hangs up, he walks out of the University frat house where he lives. As it is dark, he does not see too well and is shot. When Ray finds out, he calls St. Joseph's Hospital to ask how Barry is doing. He is told that Barry is in surgery. Helen finds out about Barry being shot when she is in the TV studio. When Collie finds out about Barry he immediately goes to the studio to pick up Helen and take her to the hospital. When They Reach the hospital Helen and Collie are sent away by Barry's mother. Barry's mother accuses Helen of calling Barry and getting him shot.
After Julie finds out, she receives a phone call from Ray asking if they could discuss what has been happening. She agrees to go with him. During the discussion the only thing the agree on is the shooter is not Helen. Then Julie suggests going to the Gregg's house to see if it is one of Daniel's family members who are coming after them. After a little debating Ray agrees to go.
When Ray and Julie get to the house they use the excuse they had car trouble to get in the house. Megan Gregg lets them in. Ray goes to her kitchen and fakes making a call while Julie talks to Megan. While Julie and Megan talk, it is revealed that Megan is Daniel Gregg's sister. Megan also says that her mother broke down after Daniel's death and was sent to a hospital in Las Lunas. Her father moved to be close to her mother. To comfort her, Julie reveals she had lost her father at a young age. After Ray is done making his fake call, Ray and Julie leave. When they get back to the car, Julie confirms it obviously wasn't the Gregg family and tells Ray what she found out. They decide to go to Helen's apartment and tell her what they had learned from Megan. Elsa is at the aparment, tormenting Helen about the attack on Barry and reluctantly leaves after Julie and Ray arrive. Julie suggests it may be Elsa responsible for the threats and the shooting, as she has always resented Helen, and may have learned about it by accident, as Helen used to share a room with her. Ray calls the Cox family at the hospital. He finds out that since Barry was shot in the spine, he has paralysis and it may be permanent.
Ray then goes to the hospital and sneaks in to see Barry. While there Ray tries to talk Berry into dissolving the pact. After Barry says no and lies that the shooting was a robbery and nothing to do with the accident, Ray leaves the hospital. Barry however thinks back to the night of the shooting, where he was lured out by an anonymous phone call, telling him that the caller had photographic evidence of the accident and would give the photos to Barry in exchange for money. Barry fell for it and was lured out and shot.
On the way out of the hospital Ray sees Bud and they decide to go have coffee together. While they talk over coffee Ray says that he will get Julie back. Bud challenges him then says Julie will not go to Smith because of him. Later Helen meets Collie in her apartment, who reveals himself to be Daniel's older brother. He tells Helen that he was the one that shot Barry and is the one that left the picture on her door. He then tells her that he is going to kill her. She immediately runs to the bathroom and locks the door. When Collie begins to take the door off the hinges so that he can get in, Helen jumps out the window.
Julie prepares to go on a date with Bud, but then decides to stay home when her mother says she is worried and would like her to stay home. When she tells Bud, he convinces her to at least walk him to his car so they can talk. When they get to the car, he reveals that his name is really Collingsworth Wilson and that he was Daniel's brother. He tells Julie that he found out who had run down his little brother by asking a man who sold Julie the flowers she sent to Daniel's funeral. He then starts to choke her. Julie is to the point of passing out when Ray saves her by beating Collie with a flashlight. Collie is taken to jail. When the paramedics show up, they tell Julie and Ray about Helen's accident. Helen sent them to Julie's house saying there would be someone trying to kill her. Julie then asks Ray how he knew and he tells her that Barry called earlier and released him from the pact. After the phone call he realized who Bud was. Then Julie asks why Bud never did anything to Ray, and he answers, "He did, tonight. He knew the worst thing would be living in a world without you."
Film adaptation
The book was very loosely adapted into an award-winning horror filmI Know What You Did Last Summer
I Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1997 American horror film. The film stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. The screenplay was written by Kevin Williamson, writer of Scream, and very loosely based on Lois Duncan's popular novel of the same title...
by Kevin Williamson, creator of the Scream film series
Scream (film series)
Scream is a series of American horror slasher films created by Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven. The films star Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette. The series has grossed over $600 million in worldwide box-office receipts and consists, to date, of four motion pictures...
. However, Lois Duncan was barred from the set, and upon seeing the finished production, was deeply unhappy with the outcome.