Sethie and Shaw??

In the past few years of book blogging, I have discovered that I have some book annoyances; things that truly get under my skin. There are a few things that really bug me as a reader (not just a book blogger).

I cannot stand when authors attempt to be the next J.M. Barrie and invent the next widely used name. It is even worse when the story is filled with obscure and trendy character names that don’t even sound good.

Let me put this to you lightly: Stop trying to be cute with the inventive names because it’s probably not working.

Now, I’ll be honest when I say that some authors have the magical ability to use obscure names in their novels and pull it off easy-peasy; authors like J.K. Rowling (who uses constellations and mythology as big inspirations), or Suzanne Collins. While I have yet to meet a “Hermione” or a “Katniss”, the names have incredible meaning and fit well within the context and tone of the book.

I was reading an ARC, “The Stone Girl” by Alyssa B. Sheinmel and it truly seems like a story worth telling:

She feels like a creature out of a fairy tale; a girl who discovers that her bones are really made out of stone, that her skin is really as thin as glass, that her hair is brittle as straw, that her tears have dried up so that she cries only salt. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t hurt when she presses hard enough to begin bleeding: it doesn’t hurt, because she’s not real anymore.

Sethie Weiss is hungry, a mean, angry kind of hunger that feels like a piece of glass in her belly. She’s managed to get down to 111 pounds and knows that with a little more hard work—a few more meals skipped, a few more snacks vomited away—she can force the number on the scale even lower. She will work on her body the same way she worked to get her perfect grades, to finish her college applications early, to get her first kiss from Shaw, the boy she loves, the boy who isn’t quite her boyfriend.

Sethie will not allow herself one slip, not one bad day, not one break in concentration. Her body is there for her to work on when everything and everyone else—her best friend, her schoolwork, and Shaw—are gone.

From critically acclaimed writer Alyssa B. Sheinmel comes an unflinching and unparalleled portrayal of one girl’s withdrawal, until she is sinking like a stone into her own illness, her own loneliness—her own self.

I must have been skimming over the synopsis when I first read it, as I paid little attention to the name– the name Sethie. *shudder* Otherwise, it seems like a pretty good story, right?

Rhine and Lindon

I started the novel a few days ago, prior to picking up Wither, and I just hated the name of the main character. I hated it so much that I couldn’t get past a few pages. Sethie. Ewwwwweee. Now, I love the name Seth (for a boy) but Sethie, for a girl? No. Just. No.

I stopped reading The Stone Girl– all because of a name.

The Stone Girl is written in 3rd person so it’s impossible to simply pretend Sethie isn’t her name. If The Stone Girl had been written in first person, maybe (just maybe) I could overlook such a horrible name. But I couldn’t. It was impossible.

Sethie did this. Sethie did that. Sethie, Sethie, Sethie!!

It gets worse. Her boyfriend’s name is Shaw. Say it with me, Shaw. Sethie and Shaw. Shaw and Sethie. It just doesn’t feel right to say it. I am annoyed just saying it in my head. My tongue feels like it is in a twist. No flow so no go.

Then I started reading Wither by Lauren DeStefano. I’ve gotten further in this, primarily because it is written in first person. But the main characters name is Rhine. Rhine! When I read her name (which, luckily, isn’t often) I think of an orange peel. It is what I envision and cannot get past the dimpled texture of an orange. The man male character’s name is Lindon.

Authors, have I expressed my relentless need for you to just stop? Another ridiculously atrocious name from another series — Renesme. If I spelled it wrong, I really don’t even care as the name is not worth looking up. But you know the name and I am sure if you think about it, it’s a pretty stupid name. Don’t fool yourself. It’s stupid.

My rant isn’t to completely discourage creative thinking and the use of less common names — I actually love names that aren’t everywhere. But, when writing your characters, just think about their names a little longer. As many authors usually have a good support system of friends, family, agents, ask them!  Is the name a good name, and why?  Also, if you are going to go along the lines and use a Sethie, think about how unlikely it would be that her boyfriend would also have an incredibly unlikely name of Shaw. Having a story filled with characters with incredibly trendy names makes me, the reader, hover over the book rather then engross myself within it or worse, stop it all together.

Coming up with creative names for your characters, what are you trying to prove? You want people to know you are creative? Got that; you’re writing a book. Instead, harvest the creativity and come up with truly meaningful names that go together rather than trying to make the biggest statement.