Simon

Simon is the novel’s central character, its protagonist and narrator. He is 17 years old, still in high school (the quality of his grades is never explicitly mentioned), and has a small but close circle of friends; a relatively solid family life; and, as the narrative begins a secret crush on a boy of a similar age that Simon knows only as “Blue.” Their relationship is conducted entirely by email, and Simon also uses a pseudonym – “Jacques.” These name-masks are important to both Simon and Blue because they both fear the possible consequences of being identified as gay. In this way, Simon’s identity and circumstances manifest one of the book’s several key themes: experiences of fear.

Simon’s journey of transformation over the course of the narrative manifests two of the other central themes as well. The first relates to Simon’s experience of discovering first...