72 pages • 2 hours read
Adam SilveraHistory is All You Left Me
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2017A 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
Griffin Jennings
Griffin Jennings is the protagonist and narrator of History Is All You Left Me. He has dark hair, a slim frame, and hazel eyes. Griffin weaves together two stories, one in the past tracing the arc of his relationship with Theo and one in the present as he copes with Theo’s sudden death. Throughout the novel, Griffin battles with his ongoing grief over Theo’s death, his guilt over lying to Theo about his relationship with Wade, and his resentment toward Theo for moving on with Jackson. Peppered into Griffin’s narration is information about his obsessive-compulsive disorder. Griffin caters to his compulsions throughout most of the novel, fearing the anxiety that comes with not appeasing them. Griffin’s main story arcs explore his breakup with Theo, Theo’s death, and his compulsions.
For most of the novel, Griffin grieves Theo. In the “History” chapters, Griffin tells the story of their romance and how he sabotaged it when he feared Theo would leave him first if they tried a long-distance relationship. Griffin begins mourning Theo the moment he learns that Theo wants to try for early admission. Despite trying to remain optimistic about their future, Griffin breaks up with Theo on Theo’s final day in New York. Though he doesn’t want to break up, he wants to give Theo a chance to enjoy himself fully in California. He believes they’ll eventually reunite for good. Griffin’s decision comes from a place of grief and heartache, leading to more pain as Theo moves on with Jackson.
In the present chapters, Griffin grieves Theo again, this time for good. Griffin also grieves their potential future as he questions whether Theo would eventually choose him over Jackson. However, he’s certain Theo is watching over him, and he speaks to Theo frequently as a way of coping with his grief. Griffin’s self-destructive tendencies reappear as he invites Jackson into his life, allowing himself to get to know parts of Theo that hurt him. When Jackson reveals that Theo taught him Griffin’s special kisses, Griffin chooses to have sex with Jackson as revenge against Theo. All the while, Griffin ignores Wade, whom he’d just developed a close relationship with before Theo’s death. Griffin carries the guilt of the relationship through the present chapters, and when Jackson reveals that Griffin’s voicemail about the relationship sent Theo into the ocean, Griffin must conquer his guilt over feeling that he killed Theo by moving on with Wade. With the help of Wade, Theo’s family, and his psychiatrist, Griffin works through these feelings of guilt.
Stretching through both past and present tense narratives is Griffin’s ongoing battle with his compulsive thought processes. Part of what draws Griffin to Theo is Theo’s accommodation of Griffin’s compulsions. Theo even shows appreciation for Griffin’s compulsions as positive things. Toward the end of the book, Griffin explains to Wade that he didn’t want to lose his compulsions because they made him special to Theo. However, he allows Wade to help him fight against the compulsions once he’s ready to heal his mental state.
Theo McIntire
Theo McIntire is Griffin’s primary romantic interest and best friend to Griffin and Wade. Theo has light hair and blue eyes. Theo loves pop culture, like superheroes and Star Wars. He also has an affinity for puzzles, from jigsaw to Tetris. Theo’s brilliant mind is one of the reasons Griffin falls in love with him and is why he gets selected to apply for college early. Theo’s character is explored primarily through Griffin’s perspective and secondarily through the information Griffin learns about Theo through Jackson and Wade.
Early in the “History” chapters, Theo is shown to be a dedicated and eccentric boyfriend to Griffin. They come out to their parents together and support one another wholeheartedly. However, Theo is also an ambitious amateur animator, and when the opportunity to pursue his dreams in college is presented to him, he chooses to go for it, leaving Griffin feeling terrified and uncertain about their future. However, Theo never seems unsure until Griffin breaks up with him on his last day in New York. Theo is caught unaware by the breakup and struggles to understand Griffin’s motives at first.
Even after Theo moves on with Jackson, he is still conflicted about his feelings for Griffin. When they are finally alone together again, nearly a year after Theo moved to California, Theo tells Griffin he’s unsure about their endgame because he loves Jackson too. However, they kiss, and Theo promises Griffin that he’ll break up with Jackson when Griffin comes to California for college next year. Both boys acknowledge Theo’s selfishness to make Griffin wait while he carries on with Jackson. When Griffin leaves Theo a message suggesting that he might not wait anymore, Theo runs into the ocean and ends up drowning.
Griffin feels Theo’s biggest betrayal is teaching Jackson their special kisses. When Jackson tries to show Griffin the kisses, Griffin realizes that Theo had used things from their relationship to make his relationship with Jackson special. This suggests Theo saw Jackson as a somewhat surrogate Griffin. Many questions about Theo’s feelings and intentions remain at the end of the book, but Griffin is able to let go of his need for answers when he lets go of Theo.
Jackson Wright
Jackson Wright is Theo’s second boyfriend, whom Theo met when he moved to California for college. Jackson looks like Griffin: thin with dark hair and hazel eyes. Jackson met Theo one night during a storm while driving between his divorced parents’ houses. He’d seen Theo walking in the rain and offered him a ride. They bonded over games and media immediately and quickly became more than friends. During their relationship, Jackson is jealous of Theo’s continued closeness with Griffin, so he asks Theo to cut Griffin out of his life. Theo refuses. When Theo is supposed to fly home for his birthday, Jackson decides at the last minute to fly with him, fearing Theo would rekindle things with Griffin if left alone there.
After Theo’s death, Jackson carries a lot of resentment toward Griffin, but he’s still sympathetic to Griffin because he knows Griffin loved Theo too. Jackson reaches out to Griffin on Thanksgiving, several days after Theo’s funeral. The boys form an uneasy yet comfortable dynamic as they tread into the waters of one another’s relationship with Theo. Jackson eventually grows fond enough of Griffin and trusts him enough to share intimate details, like the kisses he believed were special to him and Theo but were actually Griffin’s thing. Jackson even trusts Griffin enough to have sex with him and reveal his secret guilt for running to get a lifeguard instead of running in after Theo. It isn’t until Griffin attacks Jackson that he reveals that Griffin’s voicemail is what sent Theo into the water. Until then, Jackson had protected Griffin from that knowledge out of empathy.
Once Jackson and Griffin are separated again, they begin to rebuild a friendship. Jackson shows sensitivity to Griffin’s compulsions the same way Theo did, and he and Griffin stay in contact as both grow and heal from their grief.
Wade Church
Wade Church is Theo and Griffin’s close friend. He was best friends with Theo before Griffin met them in middle school, and the three have been a trio since. For most of the novel, Wade is present in the “History” chapters as Griffin and Theo’s third wheel and quiet observer. He’s aware of the intimate details of Griffin and Theo’s relationship because of how openly they joke about it and how often Theo confides in him. During these chapters, Wade shows how much he cares for Griffin through his thoughtful gift giving, remembering Griffin’s favorite Harry Potter character and making a collage for Griffin and Theo to cherish.
In the “Present” chapters, Wade mostly stays out of the picture, but not for lack of trying. He regularly reaches out to Griffin, attempting to grieve with him over their friend’s death. Still, Griffin pushes Wade away and ignores him, choosing instead to spend time with Jackson. This causes Wade to feel jealous. It’s revealed in the final few chapters that Griffin had been seeing Wade in a sexual and romantic way in the months leading up to Theo’s death. The day Griffin agreed to give a serious relationship with Wade a chance was the day Theo died. After Theo’s death, Wade is left to navigate his grief mostly on his own, yet he accepts Griffin back into his life when Griffin is ready. Wade helps Griffin face his compulsions instead of bowing to them, and in turn, Griffin begins to heal through his rekindled fire with Wade.
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