logo

50 pages 1 hour read

Lisa Graff

Lost in the Sun

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2015

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Character Analysis

Trent Zimmerman

Trent is a 12-year-old boy who is recovering from the traumatic death of a peer, for which he feels responsible. Six months prior to the novel’s start, Trent joined a hockey game and hit a puck into a teammate’s chest, killing him. It was an accident, and the boy, Jared Richards, had a heart condition no one knew about. Trent’s primary conflict throughout the novel stems from the overwhelming guilt he feels about Jared’s death.

As the school year begins, Trent finds himself alienated by his former sports friends, at odds with his father, and struggling against his teachers, like Ms. Emerson and Mr. Gorman. Trent acts out in response to a “fire in [his] body” (11)—the rage he feels as a response to his guilt and trauma. Additionally, Trent responds to his trauma and anxiety by drawing pictures in his Book of Thoughts—pictures of Jared still alive or of him dying in various other ways that would mean Trent isn’t responsible. These drawings show how desperate Trent is for relief from the guilt that plagues him.

Trent finds distraction in his unlikely friendship with Fallon Little, a girl in his grade who has a large, jagged scar down her face. Fallon takes an interest in Trent’s drawings, and although he resists her friendship at first, he finds that he enjoys her company. Trent and Fallon’s movie club becomes a safe place for Trent to go after school when he’s avoiding time with his dad. However, Trent has not fully worked through his rage, and it eventually boils over when he attacks and beats up Jeremiah Jacobson for making a mean comment about Fallon’s appearance.

The fallout from this fight affects every aspect of Trent’s life. His mom wants to send him to live with his dad, and his dad refuses to allow him to come stay. He’s failing PE for refusing to participate, and he messes up his only friendship by scaring Fallon away with his violent outburst. Trent begins to grow as a person and heal with the help of Ms. Emerson, who teaches him how to put in the work to make amends and gain people’s trust by having him water her flowers.

After this, Trent begins to water flowers in other areas of his life, making him a dynamic character who changes for the better. He makes amends with Jared’s sister, Annie, while making up his PE credit. He also shows interest in his brothers’ lives and strengthens their bond, which had eroded. Finally, Trent figures out how to make amends with Fallon by drawing pictures of her—a request Fallon has made since Chapter 1—and by taking her to a secluded area to scream. By proving to Fallon that he listens to her and that she can trust him with her trauma, Trent regains her trust. At the end of the novel, Trent understands that his story isn’t over just because of the trauma he’s endured.

Fallon Little

Fallon is a girl in Trent’s grade with a scar that runs down her face. She has “[b]ig, deep, round brown eyes […] [c]urly, slightly frizzy brown hair” and “dresse[s] kind of funny” (8). Fallon works her way into Trent’s life despite his efforts to put her off or ignore her. This begins in Chapter 1 when she helps diffuse a tense situation between Trent and Jeremiah. Fallon latches onto Trent and suggests that he owes her a drawing for helping him out.

Despite Trent’s efforts to push her away, Fallon works her way into Trent’s daily life, sitting with him at lunch. At first, Fallon only seems interested in telling unbelievable stories about how she got her scar, but when Trent suggests that they talk about something else, Fallon delves into her passion for movies, one of many details that makes her a round character. Eventually, Trent agrees to come watch movies at her house. Trent admits that “Fallon Little [is] about the weirdest person [he’s] ever met” (78), but he finds peace in his time with her. Her movie impressions and knowledge impress him, and they bond over finding continuity errors.

However, “[t]here [is] something about Fallon […] Something sad” (117). Fallon reacts negatively to confrontation, like when Trent tries to stick up for her by dumping his lunch tray on Jeremiah’s lap. She also has insecurities related to her scar and fears that stem from her trauma. Later, after reacting strongly to Trent fighting Jeremiah, Fallon reveals that she has trauma-related dreams in which she cannot scream. She fears that she actually won’t be able to scream if she needs to, and she withdraws from Trent because his violent outbursts make her feel unsafe. It isn’t until he draws the pictures of Fallon that she requested and takes her to test her screaming in a private location that she grows to trust him fully again. While Fallon helps Trent learn to focus on others, nurture friendships, and move past his trauma, their friendship also helps her heal from hers, making her a dynamic character.

Trent’s Brothers

Trent’s brothers, Doug and Aaron, are significant secondary characters. Trent’s older brother, Aaron, is 16, a lifeguard, and muscular. Trent suspects that “all sorts of girls at school [are] in love with him, even before they [find] out he [is] funny” (84). Throughout the novel, Aaron has Trent’s back in his standoff with their dad despite dealing with his own issues in the background. This makes him the archetypical nurturing big-brother figure—someone old enough to be a role model but young enough to relate to his brothers when adults can’t. Aaron shows his support for Trent by bringing him food and letting him hang out while he works. It isn’t until the latter half of the novel that Trent reciprocates this support and encourages Aaron in his struggle with trigonometry.

Doug is Trent’s younger brother. He is 10 years old, not interested in sports, and the biggest prankster of the three brothers. Throughout the novel, Doug spends time with Annie, the younger sister of Jared Richards. This friendship creates a rift in his relationship with Trent, who resents Doug for spending time with her. With Annie involved, Trent refuses to participate in pranks with Doug—an activity they used to bond over. It isn’t until Trent is forced to spend time with Annie that he learns that Doug doesn’t hate him. After that, Trent begins to spend more time with Doug and learns that he feels guilty about what happened to Jared, too, because he suggested that Trent play hockey with the group in the first place. Trent realizes that he and Doug have common ground, and he reassures Doug that it was an accident. After this, Trent begins to participate in pranks with his brothers again.

Trent’s relationship with both his brothers improves when he begins to pay attention to their lives and struggles. When he shows them that he’s a supportive brother, he strengthens their familial bond in the areas where his trauma has damaged it. Trent’s brothers, in turn, help Trent learn to get out of his head and focus on loved ones.

Ms. Emerson

Ms. Emerson is Trent’s sixth-grade homeroom teacher, as well as his teacher for several other subjects. Trent often refers to her as an “old crone” and is quick to make an enemy out of her on his first day of school. While he tries to lump her into this archetype, she is a round character who is more of a nurturing mentor than a cruel authoritarian. Ms. Emerson’s room is filled with ovens because she used to be a home economics teacher, and it’s filled with plants because “[p]otted plants are [her] very best friends” (48).

Ms. Emerson catches onto Trent’s intentional misbehavior later in the book and begins to influence him. When he seeks her advice regarding Fallon’s anger toward him, Ms. Emerson advises him that “when people are angry, there’s usually not much to do to alter their emotions. But there are often things you can do to cool them down a bit” (202). Afterward, she instructs Trent to water her plants and requests that he come back each day “to help [her] dislike [him] slightly less” (202). Ms. Emerson teaches him how to make amends with the people he’s wronged, and watering her plants becomes a symbol of making amends for him.

Ms. Emerson also advises Trent that “[w]hen you do choose to speak, […] speak truths” (245). Trent uses this advice when he communicates with his mom, Fallon’s dad, and the other people he’s hurt. When Trent feels that he’s grown enough to join intramural baseball, he concludes his time watering Ms. Emerson’s plants. However, Trent sends Noah Gorman to take his place, showing that he’s thankful for her help and hopes that she can help Noah with his conflicts, too.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text