Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Death

There's no one evil villain in The Usual Rules who's cackling and plotting dastardly schemes behind a curtain. No, the real "bad guy" in the book is death, because that's what takes away Wendy's mother and changes her life forever. Even though the attack on the World Trade Center is perpetrated by terrorists, Wendy doesn't think of those individuals as her enemies—she's focused on her mother's death and what it means for her family. It's hard to see how they'll recover from this huge, devastating blow to their family unit.