Boyfriend Material

Oliver Blackwood is the novel’s second protagonist and Luc’s romantic interest. Oliver is a barrister, or lawyer, who specializes in criminal defense. He keeps himself tidy and well-dressed; his cleanliness is remarked on several times throughout the novel. He also keeps a rigorous standard for health and exercise. He owns a home in London, which is noted to be “immaculate” and “effortlessly homey.” Luc frequently comments that Oliver seems perfect in every way.

At the beginning of the novel, Oliver is Luc’s perceived enemy. Luc, citing two instances in which he felt rejected by Oliver, dislikes him and believes him to be pretentious. However, this is the product of Luc’s limited perspective. Once the two become closer, Oliver insists that he has always liked Luc and found him attractive, making it evident that he never meant to be Luc’s enemy. Similarly, Oliver’s façade of perfection starts to break as he faces pressures from the outside world, namely tensons that arise because of his internalized feelings of inadequacy. His insecurity is highlighted when he takes Luc to meet his parents, who criticize his occupation and appearance.

Oliver mirrors Luc’s journey in that he also struggles to find himself deserving of love and respect. Oliver pressures himself to be without fault and in doing so isolates himself and seeks an impossible standard of living. When he “fails” to be perfect, he blames himself and constantly thinks he owes other people apologies. This stagnates his growth and development, preventing reflection.

Luc, however, introduces Oliver to a new perspective and reaffirms both his humanity and lovability. By describing his faults but still offering him love, Luc shows Oliver that a person does not have to be perfect to be deserving. This highlights how love is fluid and adaptable, as well as how success can encompass multiple ideas, two concepts Oliver repeatedly grapples with.

Oliver and Luc do not end the novel with a traditional happy ending. Instead, they acknowledge their faults and places that they need to grow while also respecting their love.

Jon Fleming is one of the novel’s antagonists. He is an older rock star who abandoned Luc and Odile when Luc was three years old, pursuing fame and fortune as a musician. He has spent most of his youth partying and living a life of extravagance. At the beginning of the book, he is trying to make a comeback by improving his public image and participating in a reality television show. His doctors warn him of a potential prostate cancer diagnosis. He seeks to repair his relationship with Luc, an endeavor he ends when he discovers he is not sick.

Jon exists within the novel to force Luc to face his past and pain. In many ways, Jon is the reason why Luc is the way that he is—Jon’s fame, coupled with his abandonment, made Luc face the world without the protections and wealth of a famous father. Jon’s interest in Luc is the result of his own concerns, as a suspected cancer diagnosis leads him to try to rebuild his family. This is partly for optics, as is evident when he invites Odile to record an album with him. It is also to ensure the longevity of his legacy. He wants to reconcile with Luc so that he can guarantee that one person will miss him and carry on his history, painting him in a positive light due to love or familial obligation.

The reader can track Luc’s healing and improved self-confidence through his interactions with Jon. Luc is initially full of rage, the result of decades of neglect. The more reflective he becomes, the more he settles on the fact that his father is a person. Luc becomes the gradual recipient of his father’s history, learning more about Jon at their sporadic meetups. When his father abandons him a second time, Luc uses the skills he has honed to emerge from the situation and has a deep understanding of who his father is. He acknowledges that Jon is to blame for his behavior and thus protects himself from ongoing pain. Jon is a static character who experiences no growth in the text. However, he provides a space for Luc to become stronger.

Miriam and David Blackwood are Oliver’s parents and the other antagonists of the novel. They are wealthy and possess a high social standing, which their extravagant anniversary party makes clear. They each have the habit of not addressing people directly when they speak; instead, they address the crowd, even when conversations are meant to be private. They are highly critical of Oliver’s appearance and job; they also loudly sing the praises of their other son, Christopher, but repeatedly place him in uncomfortable situations as they pressure him and his wife to have a child.

Miriam and David are emotionally abusive toward Oliver and Christopher but frame their abuse in the context of wanting their sons to be successful. They embody traditional ideas of success, which are tied to occupational status and financial stability. Oliver internalizes their perspective, a contributing factor in his search for unachievable perfection. He does not identify their cruelties as abuse and instead believes that their critiques are in his best interest. It is not until Luc highlights the way that Oliver feels that Oliver begins to question his parents and their role in his life. This gives Oliver the space to acknowledge his own imperfections and accept them not as things that need to change but as things that are a part of him and still deserving of love.