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Eden RobinsonA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Jared Martin is the 16-year-old protagonist of the novel who lives in Kitimat, a town in northern British Columbia, with his mother, Maggie. His maternal grandmother, Granny Nita, was certain that Jared was “not human” but the Trickster spirit “wearing a human face” (2). Maggie vehemently denied this, and the last time they spoke to her was when they left Bella Bella more than a decade ago. Jared’s paternal grandmother, Nana Sophia, also had her doubts about Jared’s birth, but she requested a secret paternity test that confirmed he is in fact Maggie and Phil’s child; Jared is part ‘Namgis, part Heiltsuk—two Indigenous First Nations of British Columbia.
Jared’s home life deteriorates when Phil injures his back at work, leading to an opioid addiction, a divorce, and a new marriage. Jared endures Maggie’s own alcohol and drug addictions, explosive outbursts, and string of violent boyfriends, one of whom physically abuses Jared. Jared himself turns to alcohol and marijuana to cope, and the narration of the novel is often severed by his frequent blackouts. He has a big mouth that gets him into trouble, but despite his turbulent upbringing and unpredictable environment, he is empathetic and compassionate, often feeling more responsibility towards his parents than they do for him. Because of the lack of support he receives from them, Jared turns to Nana Sophia, the Jakses, and Sarah for comfort and stability.
Jared has an “inner voice” that reacts to his experiences, sometimes sarcastically offering advice. The fall of Grade 10, Jared experiences his first vision: a talking raven. The visions continue well into the spring of the following year, becoming more involved and worrisome, but he blames them on his drug use and drinking. When Jared finally admits to his mother what he has been experiencing, she confirms that Jared can see spirits and explains that she is a witch. Jared is, in fact, the son of Wee’git, with his own abilities to travel through various dimensions, and this shocking truth changes every relationship Jared has with his family members. Given how much physical and emotional harm this new supernatural world brings to Jared’s life, he has no interest in engaging with any magic, but Maggie ominously reminds him: “You may be done with magic, but that doesn’t mean magic is done with you” (299).
To cope with his new knowledge, Jared turns again to alcohol, but this time, Jwa’sins convinces Jared to try Alcoholics Anonymous; this push initiates Jared’s recovery, and at the end of the first book in the trilogy, Jared is committed to sobriety, school, and work, even if this sobriety alienates him from his old friends and even his mother.
Maggie Moody is Jared’s fiercely protective, violent, volatile young mother. Having grown up in an unstable, abusive home, Maggie became self-sufficient at an early age and is not averse to breaking the law to meet her needs. Her misfortunes have hardened her into someone who constantly feels the need to defend herself: Her life’s motto is “The world is hard [...] You need to be harder” (141), an idea she tries to instill in compassionate Jared. She has no interest in reconciling those who have hurt or wronged her and isolates her from the rest of her family. Jared knows that “as far as his mom was concerned, his dad and everyone related to his dad should be cut out of their lives” (31). As a result, Jared keeps his relationships with Phil, Destiny, and Sophia a secret and fakes his exclusive loyalty to Maggie. Upon finding out that Jared had been helping Phil financially, she retaliates by abandoning Jared for several months to teach him a lesson.
Maggie is a habitual partier and struggles with addiction to drugs and alcohol. Their home is a designated “party palace,” and Jared’s home environment is not conducive to staying sober. Maggie frequently crosses boundaries and sets irresponsible precedents with Jared, drinking with him or encouraging him to skip school while she recovers from a hangover. Her moods are erratic and explosive; she often is verbally and physically aggressive with him, but some days she is affectionate and cuddly. The unpredictability of her moods, her encouragement of drinking, and her frequent outbursts create a toxic, unsustainable, and unsupportive household for Jared to live in, even if he knows that she loves him and would quite literally “kill and die” for him (21).
Jared knows that Maggie “[is not] a typical mother” (244), which is why he is not entirely shocked to find out she is a witch. Maggie has a complicated relationship with magic, especially because Wee’git tricked her into thinking he was Phil and conceived Jared with him. The momentous reveal of Maggie’s supernatural powers, Jared’s father’s true identity, and the desperation with which Maggie kept Jared, helps Jared understand his mother in a new way and find a commonality—other than his “talent for self-destruction” (104)—with her. Nevertheless, Jared’s new sobriety creates a further rift between them at the very end of the novel, as it triggers Maggie’s unresolved feelings of inadequacy and inferiority.
Wee’git, the Northwest Coast Indigenous name for The Trickster, is a supernatural being that can shapeshift and travel between the physical and spiritual worlds. Tricksters are mischievous and meddle in humans’ lives, sowing chaos and discord for the sake of teaching humans a lesson. The Trickster archetype is further discussed in the Symbols section of this guide, but he also has a specific character role in this novel.
In an interview with CBC Books, author Eden Robinson explains the backstory behind Wee’git entering Maggie Moody’s life: “I knew that Wee’git would go to the all-Native basketball tournament. He has a crush on a girl who has a crush on someone else. Wee’git transforms himself into that crush and they have a kid [...] [Jared] was the baby that resulted in the Trickster hookup at the basketball tournament” (Warren, Jennifer. “Why It Took Eden Robinson Eight Years to Write Canada Reads Finalist Son of a Trickster.” CBCnews, 18 Mar. 2020.). This information is never explicitly explained in the novel, but Maggie does eventually confirm that Wee’git is Jared’s father and that she married Phil so that she would not have to give up baby Jared. The paternity test Nana Sophia ordered could not distinguish Wee’git’s DNA from Phil’s because Tricksters are only different on “the sub-quantum level” (257).
Jared is #361 of Wee’git’s 532 children, which he has had over the course of hundreds of years— “since these mountains were lumps of gravel, bare and treeless” (307), Wee’git’s sister Jwa’sins explains. Over the course of Jared’s sophomore year of high school, Wee’git appears in Jared’s life several times to try to talk to him, both in his true form as a raven and transformed as a human. Jared dismisses these bizarre moments as stoned hallucinations and only believes what Wee’git tells him after Maggie has confirmed that magic is real.
Wee’git is absent from most of Jared’s life, recuperating from Maggie’s attempt to murder him. He only began to take an interest in Jared when Jared traveled into the spirit realm the night David abused him. Jared resents Wee’git for not intervening and wants nothing to do with him even though he helps Jared escape from the otter cave. Wee’git deflects any blame for neglecting Jared and avoiding his parental responsibilities, further substantiating his untrustworthy, destructive character.
Wee’git is responsible for much of the discord in Jared’s family, but he simultaneously helps Jared better understand his parents and grandmothers, teaching him lessons about perseverance and sacrifice. Jared knows that Wee’git has “been a huge dink to [the Moody] family for generations” (12), but he has yet to learn the extent of Wee’git’s role in his mother’s dark family history.
Nana Sophia is Jared’s sassy, outspoken, brutally honest but doting paternal grandmother. She has married many men over the course of her life and is always candid that she marries these men for their money. She lives a luxurious life, spending most of the novel on yet another lavish, international honeymoon. Sophia is certain “there is no problem so insurmountable a little charm and buttloads of money can’t solve” (40), and she is the one financially stable adult in Jared’s immediate family. She has always doted on him and frequently encourages him to come live with her. Even though Jared knows how much his life would improve should he take her up on this offer, he can only bring himself to say yes when he accepts that Maggie will blame him for betraying her.
Despite her candid, sometimes explicit comments, Jared frequently talks to Nana Sophia online, seeking comfort and advice from her—she is the “one person who could make the crap seem less crappy” (269). When his visions finally overwhelm him, he first turns to Nana Sophia, who is immediately ready to come help. Maggie finally explains that Sophia is a Halayt, a “high chief lady medicine woman” who “has a big name” but looks down on others (244-45). When Sophia arrives in Kitimat, Jared sees for the first time a terrifying creature inside of her: a bird “like a pterodactyl, with a long pointy beak and reptilian eyes” (268). When Maggie confirms that Phil is not Jared’s father, meaning Sophia is not his biological grandmother, Jared does not care if Sophia kills them because losing their relationship means he no longer has “a lifeline when things [get] dark” (269). Even though Sophia previously criticized Jared’s loyalty to Maggie, she cannot look past the fact that “blood is blood” and ends her relationship with Jared (269). With Sophia and the Jakses gone, Jared no longer has any responsible, supportive adults in his life.
Sarah is the eccentric granddaughter of the Jakses who comes to live with them when her mother kicks her out. She is tall and dark, with sharp cheekbones and slanted eyes, and often wears quirky outfits that set her apart from others at school. She is the only one in her immediate family embracing her Native identity, eagerly attending protests, listening to the latest Native music, and wanting to “decolonize” her life. Nevertheless, she struggles to feel like she belongs in her family: “I’m too white. I’m not white enough. I’m too weird” (208), she confesses to Jared. He is accepting of who she is, and they depend on each other for emotional support as they navigate their difficult home situations. She has liberal worldviews and thinks much more critically about everything than Jared does. Despite their differences, they are attracted to each other and enjoy each other’s company, and they quickly develop an intense emotional and sexual relationship.
Sarah struggles with her mental health and self-harm and frequently relies on psychedelics “to feel something” (165). She is a “baby witch” but is unaware of her powers and not “magically stable,” according to Maggie, so it is often unclear if the visions she sees are a result of drugs or her own magic. The night Jared does accidentally share his magic with her, despite Maggie’s warnings, the experience overwhelms Sarah, and she later attempts suicide. She and Jared love each other, but Jared cannot bring himself to pursue their relationship after cleaning her blood from the Jakses’ kitchen. Before she leaves town for rehab, he references Star Wars, likening that night to the Death Star obliterating the planet of Alderaan—an apt metaphor, since Sarah frequently dressed like Princess Leia, who was one of the few characters to escape the ruins.
Phil Martin is Jared’s father and Nana Sophia’s son who now lives a 45-minute bus ride away from Jared in Terrace. Several years ago, Phil injured his back while working at the paper plant, and he has been struggling with opioid addiction since. He and Maggie divorced not long after the injury, and he quickly remarried, starting a family with a woman named Shirley and her teenage daughter, Destiny. Phil is always kind to Jared and frequently reminds him that his home in Terrace is always open to him, but he struggles so much with his addiction that he relies on Jared financially and takes advantage of him. Even when Jared realizes that Phil has been “playing [him],” he cannot help but support him, knowing that his father’s new family could end up homeless. Jared grapples with his conflicting emotions: He knows that his father is a “decent guy” and a good father beneath the drugs and alcohol, but he “hated the way his dad was trying to hold it together but probably wouldn’t” (107). He keeps his relationship with his father a secret from Maggie, knowing that his split loyalty would enrage her; once she finds out the truth, she is so irate that she abandons Jared for several months.
At the end of the novel, Maggie reveals that Phil has always known the truth about Wee’git being Jared’s real father, but Phil never believed her. Maggie married him to keep Jared despite his disbelief, and Phil raised him as his own. Knowing this, Jared appreciates Phil significantly more and feels indebted to him for his willingness to start a family with them. However, Phil’s belief that Maggie’s magic is “delusional” and “insane” sets a precedent for Jared to become further alienated from his father now that he has experienced magic and the supernatural himself.
Jared’s elderly neighbors are Laura and Petr Jaks, whom he frequently helps with chores in return for some money or a home-cooked meal. Petr, a Czech immigrant, suffers from dementia and is often agitated by his hallucinations of Russian attacks; Laura frequently calms him down with sedatives, and as a result he is rarely functional. Jared cares for them deeply, as they are among the few stable and supportive presences in his life. They briefly took him in while Maggie was in prison, and he is devastated when they move, as this signifies the loss of his last nurturing parental figures.
The Jakses have a tenuous relationship with their granddaughter Sarah, who moves in when her mother kicks her out. Sarah is certain Petr has always disliked her because “he sees a brown cunt like everyone else” (169). Sarah resents her Gran for abandoning her Native identity, often urging her to “decolonize” her life. Jared later learns from Maggie that Laura is a witch but is “too much of a holy roller to use” her magic (244). Jared once did witness Mrs. Jaks’ magic, however, though he was unaware of what was happening at the time. The night David abused Jared, Jared momentarily left his body and made his way to the Jakses’ house, where his spirit met Laura’s. She sang him a lullaby, a soothing, maternal act, before returning him to his physical body.
Jared only learns this truth from Wee’git, and Laura never confirms what happened, but she does thank Jared for coming to her when he was “lost”—telling him that she “would have been lost without [him]” (233). This message, in addition to the well-wishes she departs with, demonstrate how much Laura has come to care for Jared and underscore how necessary it was for Jared to find a validating, gentle, nurturing maternal figure elsewhere.
Jwa’sins, who goes by Georgina Smith, is Wee’git’s sister and therefore Jared’s aunt. She first appears in the novel when she pulls over for Jared as he is trying to hitchhike home from Prince Rupert. As much as he wants to get home, Jared cannot get into her car because “beneath her face, Jared could see something twisting [...] that was dark as cedar bark, with large yellowed fangs and knobby, twisted knuckles” (148). Unaware that he can see supernatural beings, Jared attributes the frightening vision to hallucinogens. However, this first experience with Jwa’sins rattles Jared enough to prompt him to consider his own sanity and question whether he might be “wackadoodle.”
Later, she visits Jared in a dream on a fishing boat and explains that the “monster” he sees is her magic, which she never lets loose. She assumes Jared is one of them but suggests they meet in person so she can be sure. When Jared runs into her a few days later at Pizzarama, she does not provide him with any real answers but offers to be his “guide” if he ever begins to see spirits. As much as Jared wants to forget their strange encounter, he is certain that they agreed to meet in his dream, which marks a turning point in Jared’s awareness of his supernatural abilities.
After Wee’git confirms that he is Jared’s father, Jwa’sins visits Jared one more time to explain that she is his aunt and that Jared is one of Wee’git’s children. She admits that she “just [wants] as normal a life as [she] can manage” and spends most of her time checking in and helping her very extensive family members (308). She can sense that Jared is in pain and using alcohol to cope, so she convinces him to attend his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Jwa’sins reappears in Jared’s life just as he is reaching a new low, having lost all his support network, and helps him begin the process of recovery. Jared senses her intentions are good, as she has only ever been kind to him, but the novel closes with Granny Nita warning him that Jwa’sins must have “a plan” and “want something” from Jared if she is paying attention to him, creating a potential conflict for the novel’s sequel.