Love, Mom

Elizabeth is Mackenzie’s mother and a secondary narrator via her diary entries. She is the author of the stories published under the name E. V. Renge. Her character is closely tied to the novel’s thematic exploration of The Complex Nature of Grief and Trauma. Elizabeth’s letters reveal that her “deranged haunting horror masterpieces” are drawn from her personal experiences (120). For Elizabeth, “writing the past down and changing the outcome [i]s therapy” (44). When Tonya begins to stalk Elizabeth, Elizabeth channels her anger and fear into her writing. She later reflects that she “would’ve tortured [Tonya] and made her beg for mercy and would’ve probably killed her in the end” if she hadn’t been able to take her revenge “on paper” (98). These passages emphasize that Elizabeth handles her trauma through her writing, which is inspired by her experiences. Mackenzie ultimately comes to believe that Renge’s fans love her work because “their dark disturbed minds” see “something in her work that normal people considered a sick imagination” but which they recognize as trauma (90).

Elizabeth’s journey to success reflects the novel’s interest in Nature and Nurture in Personal Development. Elizabeth was raised in a foster care group home, a difficult environment in which she had few close friends or trusted adults. Even before she was sexually assaulted, she was “a loner” who hated “attracting attention” and felt “comfortable living in the shadows” (23). After the assault, Elizabeth “got quieter, angrier” and “withdrew into herself” (166). When she aged out of the system, Elizabeth was “thrown out into the big world with nothing but the clothes on [her] back” (22). Despite this difficult environment, Elizabeth was “a smart girl” who was “determined to make [her] way out of [her] crappy life” (22). She secured a college grant and a full scholarship to build a better life for herself. Elizabeth’s journey highlights that a person can exceed the circumstances of their upbringing to build a successful life.

Ben is Elizabeth’s college boyfriend in Part 2 and the man who Mackenzie has been raised to believe is her father in Part 1. He is a secondary narrator in Part 2, which takes place 22 years before the events of the rest of the novel. When the novel begins, Ben is a “slender […] stooping” man in his forties with “plenty of grays in his brown hair” (62). Ben is characterized by a charming exterior that belies his true lack of character. Elizabeth’s diary entries reveal that, in college, Ben was a “romantic” who “had the gift of making those around him feel special” (19). Ben could be “dazzling, charming, cute, or apologetic if needed” (23), and his smile “made people’s heads turn” and “made girls swoon” (19). As Elizabeth’s boyfriend, Ben was charismatic and seductive.

Although she was in love with Ben, Elizabeth’s diary entries indicate that his charming exterior is a fraud. She suggests that “his only talent was his smile” and that his charisma “was about the only gift he had” (23). As she got to know Ben, she realized that “he barely passed most classes […] his uppity parents paid his way into graduation […] he didn’t get accepted into any internships” (21). Elizabeth’s awareness of Ben’s shortcomings is significant, given how deeply she loved him. Tonya’s narration highlights that she does not find him charming and that she is only with him because of his proximity to Elizabeth: “[H]is only gift is his talented girlfriend who is slowly becoming a vegetable” (197). The fact that Tonya feels like she doesn’t “need him without [Elizabeth]” emphasizes that he has no real redeeming qualities (202). Ben is a static character who does not change throughout the narrative.

Tonya is the central antagonist of Love, Mom, having stolen the identity of Elizabeth. Although the novel begins with her death, she is a secondary narrator in Part 2, which takes place 22 years earlier than the rest of the novel. She is characterized by her charismatic nature and her obsession with Elizabeth. Mackenzie describes the woman who raised her as “too big for the room […] too cool for school” (40). Acting as Elizabeth, Tonya “had a way with people” that “could really make you feel important” (40). When she walked into a room, “everyone’s eyes were on her” (40), and she “knew how to say the right things at the right time to get what she wanted” (283). The novel demonstrates that Tonya’s success in impersonating Elizabeth and stealing her literary profits is due to her charismatic nature.

Tonya’s charming exterior belies the fact that she is “smart and vindictive” and “obsessed with” Elizabeth. Tonya’s jealousy stems from their childhood when Tonya’s boyfriend sexually assaulted Elizabeth. Tonya accuses Elizabeth of “using [her] grief and capitalizing on it” when Elizabeth writes about her assault and attempts to get revenge (180). Tonya sees Elizabeth as a “golden goose” to be exploited and vows to “do whatever it takes to get that money and the publishing deal” (213). Tonya’s obsession with punishing Elizabeth and stealing her opportunities drives her actions throughout the novel and thematically develops The Fickle Reality of Literary Fame. Elizabeth is a static character who does not change throughout the text.

EJ is Mackenzie’s best friend and love interest. He is described as having a “handsome profile” with “chiseled cheekbones and puckered lips” and “understanding and comforting” eyes (25, 152). As Mackenzie’s only real source of support, EJ is defined by his role as Mackenzie’s surrogate family. EJ is a “brilliant programmer” who makes “more money from coding jobs online at twenty-three than an average adult” (13). The fact that EJ “has plenty of money” allows him to financially support her trips to Nebraska to find out the truth about her family (136). EJ’s financial support is significant since she receives no money from her family.

EJ also provides significant emotional support to Mackenzie. From the beginning of the novel, Mackenzie describes EJ as “a balm for [her] soul” (10). She believes that “he always senses how [she] feel[s], even when [she] tr[ies] to hide it,” and that “no one knows [her] like he does. Not even [her] parents” (148). Here again, the comparison to her parents demonstrates that he acts as a surrogate family. At the end of the novel, EJ and Mackenzie are in a romantic relationship, cementing his role as an important part of her family.