Forget regular old teenage angst: Everneath is about true emotional pain and suffering. There's the suffering that pushes Nikki to choose to become a Forfeit in the first place, and the suffering that awaits her when she Returns to her old life after the Feed. And then there's even more suffering in store for her, since she doesn't want to become an Everliving (which would mean causing others suffering by sucking their emotions dry), but this means going to the Tunnels, which offer up an eternity of suffering. Whew. How's that for a laundry list?
And let's not forget that Nikki's sudden disappearance for the Feed causes everyone left behind to suffer: her dad, her brother, her boyfriend, her BFF… yeah, there's plenty of suffering to go around in this book.
Questions About Suffering
- In the Suffering Olympics, Nikki obviously gets the gold metal, but who gets silver and bronze in your opinion? Why?
- Does Cole ever seem to suffer in the book? Why or why not? Use the text to support your claim.
- If you were faced with Nikki's choice between becoming an Everliving and going to the Tunnels, which would you pick?
- What were the main factors causing Nikki enough emotional pain that she decided to go under for the Feed?
Chew on This
Nikki's tolerance for suffering is greater than that of the average human being.
Jack's motivation for taking Nikki's place in the Tunnels is partly selfish: He wants avoid suffering through her disappearance again.