Character Analysis: A Boy Named Sue

As for “A Boy Named Sue” by Allison Nimmo, it was a sweet story all in all. As for the overall view, I really liked how it started out talking about how Sue was this tough guy with a soft name, and then toward the end it was said that he was going to name his own child a tough guy name because of his experiences with his own name. This story was very well planned out in my opinion and each of the elements flowed together rather nicely. Firstly, I really liked the setting at the beginning. I could practically see the “neon lights” and the “honkytonk”. I also liked the authenticity of the character Sue. From his “beer stained leather jacket” to his “bruised , scabbed knuckles”, he was a tough country boy through and through, especially through

The conflict was presented and made clear rather quickly, and I liked how the first paragraph led up to it. It started off as if it were just another day with a sinus infection, and then I was shocked when I read that she was pregnant. The detail in the story is what really pulled me in. I liked the examples of the “sticky blue covering on the chairs” and how she described Derek as smelling like “faint chlorine” and tasting like “Jose Cuervo”. That was a nice touch, and it made the characters feel more real. The best part of the story in my opinion was the part where she told Derek she was pregnant in the cafe. It was really drawn out, which simulated how time would move more slowly in real life if you were telling someone something like that. It would be really nerve-wracking. Sarah’s character Marie was very genuine. I definitely felt the rich girl vibe she was giving off, especially when Sarah added in the detail about her not being able to use a credit card at the baby store because her mother would know. The mention of Marie’s mom and dad’s jobs also added to her character having been entitled all of her life. Derek was also a good character due to the fact that he sounded like a typical immature teenage boy. When he says “I really cannot tell my folks. You know mom, she would have a stroke and dad would disown me”, just his words alone prove that he isn 't mature enough to be a dad. In addition to having genuine characters, she

This story in particular reminds me of the horror movies of today and I loved how the tone of the story is somewhat calm with a dash of wondering if the knocking on the wall is just a branch or something more sinister. I love the way that Zoe describes her characters. I can practically see Laura as she is described, her “brown hair messily sprawled across her pillow” and her “oversized t-shirt that was almost large enough to be a nightgown”. I love the description as a whole in this story, and I feel like it is brought most to life through the actions and words of the characters. She mentions how Laura is a light sleeper, causing you to wonder why she isn 't waking up throughout all of the noises and David getting into bed. You can tell in the story that David is kind of a skeptic, though he begins to doubt his sanity throughout the story as the knocking continues. She has given such life to the characters, even when we find out that Laura isn 't really Laura. I love how creature Laura is so calm but so vicious at the end of the story when it grows “spindly fingers with nails that tapered down to needle-like points” and “a grin that showcased a set of numerous razor-sharp teeth”. The only thing I wish there was more of was the setting. The bedroom isn 't really described that much, even though it is the main place where most of the action occurs. Toward the end of the story, however, I did enjoy the description of the