SPOILER ALERT: If you read this page before you finish the book, it will give away details of the story that you may want to read in the book first!
Charlie's lists
Books
In the novel Charlie's teacher, Bill, assigns him various books to read. Charlie describes them all as his favorites.
The book also references The Mayor of Castro Street by Randy Shilts
Films
The novel references these films:
Songs
The novel references these songs:
Charlie also mentions M*A*S*H (TV series)
Character histories
Charlie - The main character of the novel. He is an intelligent, caring, and observant high school freshman. This book is about his coming of age and his transformation from a person who simply observes to one who participates. He considers himself "pretty emotional".
Patrick - A high-school senior who befriends Charlie and becomes one of his best friends. Charlie later discovers that Patrick is gay and in love with Brad. Plays 'Frank N Furter' at the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Sam - Patrick's step-sister and also a senior in high school. Charlie is deeply in love with Sam and considers her his best friend. Sam gives Charlie his first kiss, saying that she wanted it to come from someone who loved him. Plays 'Janet Weiss' at the local Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Mary Elizabeth - Sam's good friend, a very outspoken senior who publishes a fanzine called "Punk Rocky". She dates Charlie, but Charlie's heart is not in it because of his love for Sam. In charge of the Rocky Horror Picture Show viewings where she plays 'Magenta'.
Bill - Charlie's English teacher. He pushes Charlie to participate rather than observe and gives him books to read. Charlie confides in him when his sister is hit by her boyfriend. He takes a special interest in Charlie and is one of the few who see how special and intelligent Charlie is, telling him so as they part for summer vacation.
Brad - Patrick's boyfriend, the closeted quarterback of the high school football team. Charlie meets him at a party, the only place where Brad feels comfortable being with Patrick.
Charlie's sister - A popular, attractive, and intelligent girl whose feelings for Charlie vary throughout the book. She gets herself into a lot of trouble with boys and Charlie helps her out. She is very opinionated.
Charlie's brother - Attends Penn State on a football scholarship. He is very talented and calm.
Charlie's father - A stern man who had a tough upbringing but genuinely loves his kids and wants what is best for them. Because of the abuse he suffered as a child, he has promised himself that he will never hit his children.
Charlie's mother - A woman who was beaten by her father when she was young. She justifies this by stating that he wanted her to have an education and a better life than he did; beating her up was his way of enforcing that.
Aunt Helen - The sister of Charlie's mother, killed in a car accident on Dec. 24, a snowy evening and Charlie's birthday. As a child she was molested by a family friend. For the last few years of her life she lived with Charlie's family. Charlie feels guilty because Aunt Helen died on her way to buying Charlie a birthday present. It is revealed in the epilogue that she molested Charlie and caused him a lot of his mental problems.
Michael - Charlie's friend from middle school who committed suicide because of "problems at home." Charlie misses him greatly and has trouble dealing with his death.
Susan - A girl who was friends with Charlie when Michael was still living. She and Michael used to hold hands at the football games. Later (after Michael's death), as she physically matures and becomes more attractive, she does not pay any attention to Charlie and at times actively ignores him.
Craig - Sam's older college boyfriend from the middle of the novel onwards, who Sam later finds out has cheated on her multiple times.
Peter - Mary Elizabeth's love interest after she and Charlie become "just friends again". A friend of Craig's.
Bob- Charlie's drug dealing, pothead friend. With a bubbly personality and a lot of trivia knowledge, which apparently gets stale after a while (Charlie had heard all of his jokes and trivia in a week).
References
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