Eddy Bellegueule

Eddy Bellegueule is a young boy and adolescent growing up in a rural village in the north of France. His family is relatively poor and only becomes more impoverished after his father is forced to quit working and go on disability. Eddy is described as bright and smart, though his grades are not very good because he is never encouraged to study at home. As he gets older, Eddy also develops a passion for the theater, which eventually lands him in a private, theater-focused high school. He discovers that he feels more at home there than he did in his village.

Throughout The End of Eddy, Eddy struggles to reconcile himself with his sexual orientation. Early on in his life, his parents are worried by what they see as his “fancy ways” and “queeny gestures” (15). His voice, higher pitched than the other boys’ voices, also causes alarm...