The Cost of Knowing

Published in 2021, Brittney Morris’s The Cost of Knowing is a young adult novel with elements of magical realism. Alex Rufus, the protagonist and narrator, is a Black 16-year-old burdened with the ability to see glimpses of the future. When he has a vision of his younger brother’s death, Alex embarks on a race against time. The novel won the BCALA Youth Literary Fiction Award and explores themes of brotherhood, fate, and growing up.

This study guide refers to the 2021 Simon and Schuster e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source material contains depictions of self-harm, suicide, sexual assault, homicide, gun violence, deaths of children, deaths of parents, and racism.

Plot Summary

Sixteen-year-old Alex Rufus sees the future whenever his palms touch a person or an object. His visions started at age 12 after he survived the car accident that killed his parents. During Alex’s shift at Scoop’s ice cream shop, his girlfriend, Talia, comes to see him, and he has an anxiety-inducing vision of her wearing a black sundress and glaring at him with hatred. Alex wants a future with Talia, but he isn’t sure how that’s possible when his recent vision leaves him too scared to touch her. Alex is afraid to tell Talia about his visions because he knew that her brother, Shaun, was going to die three years ago and didn’t tell her.

Alex and his 12-year-old brother, Isaiah, are originally from Chicago’s South Side, but they have lived with Aunt Mackie in a gated community on the West Side since their parents’ deaths. When Alex touches an old photograph of his family, he has a vision of himself putting the picture on his brother’s casket. The next morning, Alex offers to drive Isaiah anywhere he wants to go, and Isaiah asks to visit their parents’ graves. On the drive to the cemetery, Alex learns that he and his brother have the same favorite rapper, Shiv Skeptic, and that Isaiah wants to be a rapper when he grows up. At the graveyard, Isaiah tells Alex that he receives visions of the past, especially the day their parents died. Alex shares that he can see the future. The brothers resolve to find a way to stop their psychic abilities, which they consider a curse.

When the brothers return to Aunt Mackie’s house, Talia is there in the black sundress Alex saw in his vision. Talia storms off after Alex rejects her attempts to be intimate with him and doesn’t explain his feelings to her. Later that evening, one of their white neighbors, Mrs. Zaccari, stops by and makes prejudiced assumptions about the people who will attend the upcoming Shiv Skeptic concert. The brothers withdraw to Alex’s room, and Isaiah explains to Alex that their family has had psychic abilities for 400 years. Their ancestor, King Takaa of the Unguzi tribe, asked an orisha for a life without fear and for knowledge of the unknowable. Isaiah believes that their abilities manifested after the car crash that killed their parents because they survived a near-death experience, and he thinks the curse can be broken if they face their greatest fears. Isaiah is afraid to leave his room, and Alex is terrified of crowds, so Alex buys two tickets to the Shiv Skeptic concert.

The next morning, Alex is opening the ice cream shop when he sees a news story about a deadly break-in in his neighborhood. Fearing that his little brother is the victim, Alex hurries home, even though his boss threatens to fire him. Alex is relieved to see that Isaiah is unhurt, but he’s anxious about his little brother being near the police officers on their block and urges him to go back inside. His fear and anger increase when he learns that the victim was an unarmed Black boy his age and that the man who killed him is their neighbor, Mr. Zaccari. Talia surprises Alex with Shiv Skeptic tickets, and they have a bitter argument when he tells her that he needs to stay with his little brother instead of going to the concert with her.

That night, Alex shows Isaiah the Shiv Skeptic tickets he bought and suggests that they sneak out to the concert as a way of facing their fears. At the venue, Talia confronts Alex for lying to her and tells him that their relationship is over. He tries to salvage the situation by telling her that he can see the future and that he’s been avoiding her because he’s afraid of having visions about her. Talia realizes that Alex foresaw her brother’s death, is distraught that he said nothing to her, and leaves. Isaiah reveals that he feels responsible for Shaun’s death because his ball rolled into the street, causing Shaun’s mother to crash their car. Alex consoles him and buys him some rave gloves from the concert’s merchandise store.

At the concert, Eli Zaccari, their neighbors’ son, tells them to leave, but they decide to stay because facing their fears is their best chance to break the curse. One of Shiv Skeptic’s bandmates ushers Isaiah onstage, a thrilling but frightening prospect for both brothers. When Isaiah goes onstage, the curse breaks, and their visions end. A blissful Isaiah raps with his hero when gunfire suddenly erupts. Alex and Isaiah make it safely out of the arena. It’s raining, so they pull up the hoods of their sweatshirts. When they reach their neighborhood, Mr. Zaccari follows them and purposely hits Isaiah with his truck.

Alex wakes up in the hospital, where he reconciles with Talia and pours out his anger and grief to Aunt Mackie. At Isaiah’s burial, Alex confronts Mrs. Zaccari about the deadly consequences of her racism. He places the photograph of his family on his brother’s casket and sits beside his grave. In a vision, Alex’s ancestors, including King Takaa, appear to thank him for breaking the curse. Alex sees Isaiah in his father’s arms and knows that he’s at peace. A few weeks after Isaiah’s funeral, Alex finally accompanies Talia to Shaun’s grave and tells her that he loves her. He has the Akoose word for “king” tattooed on his palm to remind him of his ancestors, his brother, and his own potential. Without his visions, Alex now feels that his future is up to him to decide.