Boyfriend Material

Luc O'Donnell is the novel’s narrator and main protagonist. He does not provide a physical description of himself except for occasionally commenting on his physicality, stating that while he does not think himself unattractive, he doesn’t work out and thus worries about his appearance. This is one way that his self-consciousness manifests in the text. Luc is the son of Jon Fleming, a renowned rock star currently making a professional comeback, and Odile O’Donnell, a singer-songwriter who was popular in the 1980s. He works for a non-profit organization attempting to save dung beetles from extinction. Although he seemingly has a low regard for his coworkers, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that he has affection for them; even his mother comments that he has a “job [he] pretend[s] [he doesn’t] like” (394).

Luc’s central conflict is that he sees himself as undeserving of good things. His history of being featured in gossip magazines has skewed his self-perception; as a reaction to a past betrayal by a romantic partner, he engaged in partying and casual intercourse, which the paparazzi skewed to make him look bad. Although Luc begins the novel having moved away from these behaviors, he still carries anxieties tied to his image and ability to be romantically close to people.