Character Clues

Character Analysis

Thoughts and Opinions

You know that really loud friend you've got who always has an opinion about everything? It doesn't matter if it's a political story, or just whether to use paper or plastic—this friend is sure to have an opinion about what's best. Well, we hope you like that person, because that's exactly what the characters in the novel are like.

Daan thinks marriage is outdated. Tessel doesn't think learning about the war will do anyone any good. Geertrui believes she should be able to make her own decisions without the help of her parents or brother. And Hille will decide when and where and how she'll die if something happens to her. Yup—this is a thoughtful and opinionated bunch.

The characters are confronted with some pretty heavy-hitting questions about love, war, death, suicide, and sex, but they've got opinions about all of it. It's a good thing too, since it's how we best figure out who they are.

We understand that Daan is progressive and interested in challenging norms, based on his thoughts on marriage; we know Tessel has a hard time with the past since she doesn't think the war is worth dredging up; we know that Geertrui is fiercely independent since she insists upon thinking for herself; we know Jacob is unsure of himself and out of touch with his feelings when he assumes Ton is a girl—and then we know he's opening up to himself when he allows himself to feel attracted to Ton as the dude he really is. Pretty cool, right?

Now if we could only get your friend to lay off her opinions once in a while…

Sex and Love

Finish this sentence: Love is…

We're betting you've got an answer to that one, and it turns out our characters do too. Geertrui believes love is really observing someone else when that person is observing you right back, but Daan thinks it's more complex than that. There is no "the one" for everyone, as far as Daan's concerned; people should love whomever they want and then move on when it fades.

The novel certainly presents us with differing ideas about love and sex, and what each means. If you think about it, that's how we learn a lot about Jacob's grandpa, Geertrui, Ton, and Daan. It's through their ideas of what love should be and what it is that we get to know who they really are—what they prioritize, what they want from their lives, and more.