Character Clues

Character Analysis

Direct Characterization

Because we get Regan's take on everything, we also get a very straightforward description of the different characters and how they act. Instead of tiptoeing around the issue, Regan often comes right out and tells us what a character is like:

Aly? She longed to be with Liam. She wanted him to be something he could never be. A boy. The man of her dreams. (12.22)

Regan gives us real insights into the other characters—like Aly, who just wants Liam to like her back. She also gives us an inside scoop on what her parents are like:

I caught Dad rolling his eyes. He wasn't crazy about Mom's job. Specifically, her elevating her own status from Wife and Mother to More Significant Other. Not that he was sexist or anything, just boring and conventional. (2.34)

Through Regan's eyes, we get full descriptions of what the other characters in the book are like.

Props

What people carry around definitely plays a big part in this book. Luna's props are a dead giveaway that her inner self doesn't match her outer self:

As I heard her slog across the floor toward my desk—where she'd unveiled her makeup caddy in all its glory—a sigh of resignation escaped my lips. (1.23)

Even though Luna usually presents as Liam, a typical teenage boy, her props reveal that she really wants to be a girl inside. Similarly, we get a sense of the pain that Luna feels when Regan describes how every year she takes her school photos and uses them as a dartboard. It's obvious that she hates the time she spends looking male and wants to reveal her true female form.

We learn about some of the other characters through their props as well. Regan and Liam's mother is constantly glued to the phone, which gives us insight into how much time she allots to her family:

Dad morphed. Into what, I don't know. His face, his body, they seemed to grow, contort. Mom's cell rang. She grabbed for it. "No Andy, that won't work. There's no wheelchair accessibility at the Burnham-Grant." She stood and marched off toward her bedroom. (24.35)

Even when the rest of the family is dealing with an extremely loaded and explosive situation, Mrs. O'Neill just uses the cell phone as an escape, as a way to disengage from family business.

Family Life

A great deal of how characters react to Luna's lifestyle has to do with family life. After all, we get a clear sense very early on that Luna's dad isn't going to react well to the transition because he's rather traditional when it comes to family roles. When Luna (presenting as Liam) volunteers to help make dinner because Regan will be busy with babysitting, he flips out and says:

"No you won't," Dad barked. "That's not your job." (2.71)

In their dad's world, everyone has to conform to gender roles and there's no getting out of it. Similarly, their mom doesn't seem to really care about gender roles in the family but also remains pretty disinterested in everything that's going on. Because she distances herself from everything, she doesn't take charge and help Luna when she does transition—instead she remains on the sidelines, barely involved.