A Monster Calls characters

Appears from the start

A thirteen-year-old boy living with his seriously ill mother. Conor is exhausted by a recurring nightmare he refuses to describe and angry at the pity and avoidance his mother's cancer has brought into his life. He tries to manage the household and school as if nothing is changing.

Also known as The Yew Tree

Appears from the start

A vast being that takes the shape of the old yew tree near Conor's home. It arrives shortly after midnight with immense strength and an expectation that Conor should fear it. Conor is less frightened of this visitor than of the nightmare that already wakes him.

Also known as Mum

First appears in chapter 2

Conor's mother, who is undergoing treatment for cancer. She tries to reassure him and preserve their ordinary routines despite her weakness, while Conor clings to her confidence that the latest treatment will work.

First appears in chapter 2

Conor's maternal grandmother. Formal, blunt, and very different from Conor, she begins spending more time at the house as her daughter's illness worsens. Her talk of practical arrangements threatens the future Conor is trying not to imagine.

First appears in chapter 3

A schoolmate who was once Conor's closest friend. Lily told other pupils about his mother's illness, believing they should know, and Conor has not forgiven her for changing the way everyone treats him. She still tries to defend and reach him.

First appears in chapter 3

A quiet, controlled school bully who targets Conor with two companions. Harry understands that being ignored can hurt Conor more than open violence, and he uses the adults' reluctance to discipline a boy with an ill mother to deepen Conor's isolation.

First appears in chapter 3

One of Conor's teachers. Miss Kwan sees signs that he is being bullied and attempts to intervene, but her sympathy and careful handling also reinforce his sense that the adults around him no longer treat him normally.

First appears in chapter 12

Conor's father, who now lives in America with his second family. He returns for a short visit when Conor's mother deteriorates. Conor hopes his arrival offers a permanent escape, but his father has obligations and a life elsewhere.