50 pages • 1 hour read
Promise Me Sunshine
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Character Analysis
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness and death.
Helen “Lenny” Bellamy
Lenny is the 28-year-old protagonist and narrator of Promise Me Sunshine. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she received the nickname “Lenny” from her best friend Lou, whom she met when both were young children. Lenny grew up as an only child to her parents, Eva and Kevin, but Lou was like a sister to her. The two eventually moved into an apartment together as adults, and Lenny took on babysitting jobs while Lou went to the Pratt design school.
When Lou got her first cancer diagnosis in college, Lenny became her caretaker as well as her best friend. When Lou began chemo, both women shaved their heads. Lenny would do everything she could to cheer Lou up, including making her favorite meals and introducing her to new music that they could enjoy together. When Lou had to have a hysterectomy and felt like she couldn’t live a normal life again, Lenny wrote her a “Live Again” list to help her get control of her life again. Lou’s cancer went into remission but eventually returned. This time, when she shaved her head, Lou told Lenny to grow out her hair for her. Lenny continued as Lou’s caretaker as they moved her to hospice in Staten Island for her final months.
