Essay Questions

What is the meaning of the title and the concept of a "real live boyfriend"?

The title represents the main theme of the novel, the theme of love and what it truly means to have someone by your side. Ruby describes the concept of a real live boyfriend as a boyfriend who is there for you, who doesn’t get tired of your calls, and with whom you can sit together at lunch despite him being surrounded by other guys. What Ruby describes here is the only true definition of what makes someone a boyfriend, and all her other takes aren’t valid in comparison.

What does it say about Ruby when Noel tells her that she isn’t “mental” but only thinks she is?

Ruby is a self-proclaimed girl with mental problems, but what it turns out is that she’s only using this stereotype as a shield against hardships in her life and against coping with them. She is in a way gaslighting herself, and when she starts facing her issues and heartbreaks, her panic attacks and anxiety disappear. It could also be said that she’s using it as a “quirky” trait to be different from the rest of the girls. Nevertheless, at the end, she finally realizes what Noel meant by those words.

Why is Ruby’s mother the most problematic character?

Ruby’s mother could be argued to be the most problematic character in the novel. She is emotionally manipulative and selfish. She isn’t ready to compromise. After Ruby tells her the truth about her behavior, and that she bosses her husband around, instead of reflecting, she behaves like an angry, stubborn and spiteful child, cooking and forcing Ruby to eat meat despite her being a vegetarian. Instead of comforting her husband, who is grieving for his dead mother, she tells him it’s time to get over it. And, finally, when she sees that she can’t force her family to comply to her selfish wishes, decides to leave on a vacation without a word. All this behavior is brushed aside at the end, and never addressed properly. Instead, it is only justified as her normal behavior, of just who she is.