Conor O'Malley

Conor is the heartbreaking main character in the novel. He is a thirteen-year-old boy that has, for the better part of a year, watched his mother slowly slip away to cancer.

Conor's struggle is with forgiving himself; he feels guilty for wishing his mother's struggle would end. In many ways he is innocent--he is still prone to nightmares and schoolyard skirmishes--yet he has already carried more burdens than any child should.

Conor is brave and strong. A shell has formed over his heart from the hardship in his life: his father has abandoned him and his mother at a young age, and then he has to live through his mother's terminal illness. By the end of the novel, Conor will actually find his strength by admitting his weakness.

The Monster

The Monster refers to himself as old as the Earth itself. He tells Conor that he has...