At the start of the James Preller novel Bystander, readers are introduced to a young man named Eric Hayes, a new student entering seventh grade in a Long Island, New York school. Eric is trying to find his footing in his new school and is quickly trying to understand the social dynamics of his new school so he can quickly find a group of friends. At the start of the novel, Eric struggles to fit into his school and with his classmates.
In his attempt to find friends and familiarize himself with his new surroundings, Eric soon meets Griffin Connelly. At first, Eric is impressed by Griffin. He seems confident and charismatic, and Eric is drawn to him. The two, having a mutual interest in becoming friends with each other, strike up a friendship. Just as quickly as he becomes friends with Griffin, Eric begins to spend more time with Griffin and his circle of friends.
However, as time goes on, Griffin reveals a different side of his personality. And Eric's first impressions of him were deceiving. Griffin is not nice; instead, he is a manipulative bully who preys on weaker students like David Hallenback. David is a quiet, gentle soul, which makes him an easy target for Griffin's bullying.
The story intensifies as Eric witnesses multiple instances of bullying while spending time with Griffin and his friend group (hence the title of the novel, which references the bystander effect). Eric witnesses David being verbally bullied, beaten up, and stolen from. Throughout these instances of bullying, Griffin, with his magnetic pull, manages to involve other students in his abuse, either as active participants or passive bystanders. This makes intervention even more challenging.
Eric is torn between his initial bond with Griffin and his burgeoning understanding of the harm being inflicted upon David. Several incidents of bullying convince Eric that he must do something about Griffin and his behavior. On one occasion, the bullying escalates beyond anything that Eric had ever seen, forcing him to make a decision about what he would do. Eric realizes just how much harm Griffin is doing through his bullying and recognizes how complicit he is because of his silence, which spurs Eric into action.
Eventually, Eric decides that he can no longer stand by and watch the bullying take place. He decides that he has to challenge Griffin and rally against him with other students who are sick of his behavior. For Eric, their big confrontation is cathartic. His actions reveal Griffin as the monster he truly is and cause the school to start to grapple with the impact of his bullying and bullying more generally. But his actions don't come without consequences, as Griffin begins to bully Eric.
That bullying doesn't go on for long, however, as the students, teachers, and even parents reflect on the events that have transpired and band together to emphasize the need for vigilance and intervention when faced with bullying.
