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Darwin is a very good villain. He would make a good character for one of the csi or criminal minds episodes. He

I think Darwin was probably one of the most interesting characters in the book. His obsessive issues with control and slow submission to his inner Voice made him an excellent villain. The gradual deterioration of his mind made him seem much more believable.

Darwin was a very interesting villain. I hated him, of course, but was really intrigued by his OCD and quirks. I wanted more details of his childhood and what made him turn out the way he did. I wanted to learn more about him, but at the same time, when I read about him I got really creeped out. Crazy, right??

He is really interesting.
Whenever i saw the book, darwin always comes to mind, no matter how hard i tried to forget him.

I agree, Darwin made a great villain. He was very interesting and intense. It was exciting to see his story unfold and learn about his past. I loved when we saw into his life as he dealt with his OCD ticks and some other very serious mental issues. However, this character does further perpetuate the stigma people with mental health disorders have to suffer with. A person who struggles with mental health feels isolated, lonely, unwanted and worthless. I think we would be amazed to know exactly how many people walking past us deal with similar issues. Unfortunately, those who suffer read this and hear comments that he is despicable they themselves feel despicable and do not seek help; fearing the contempt of others. Darwin had amazing strength both physically and mentally. He was very passionate and ambitious. If he was a real person imagine the amazing things he could have done with his life if he had help. I believe the things that make us "crazy" can be the things that make us strong.

-- 12 Mar 2016, 18:28 --

LivreAmour217 wrote:Darwin did make a good villain, but I'm afraid that his character reinforced negative stereotypes of the mentally ill. People who exhibit symptoms such as his are typically victims, not aggressors.

Thank you!

LivreAmour217 wrote:Darwin did make a good villain, but I'm afraid that his character reinforced negative stereotypes of the mentally ill. People who exhibit symptoms such as his are typically victims, not aggressors.

I agree he made an excellent villain, terrifying, yes, but interesting. However, I also agree that people who have his symptoms are usually victims. He was a victim, especially as a child, but even as an adult since The Voice told him things he should and should not do. Unfortunately, no one saw the signs and no one helped him so he ended up being aggressive, which easily can happen in real life.

He made a good villain in that you could see why he had the issues he did and you could understand his reasoning well. It kind of made him believable in a weird and worrying way

Sarah G wrote:He made a good villain in that you could see why he had the issues he did and you could understand his reasoning well. It kind of made him believable in a weird and worrying way

I agree that he was a very believable character. It gave me the chills and made me realize that there are people like this walking around in real life. He felt more realistic (although in a creepy way) than Sue, Connie, or the grandfather. It didn't seem realistic that a grandfather would constantly bully their own grandson.

bookowlie wrote:

Sarah G wrote:He made a good villain in that you could see why he had the issues he did and you could understand his reasoning well. It kind of made him believable in a weird and worrying way

I agree that he was a very believable character. It gave me the chills and made me realize that there are people like this walking around in real life. He felt more realistic (although in a creepy way) than Sue, Connie, or the grandfather. It didn't seem realistic that a grandfather would constantly bully their own grandson.

Yeh I thought the same about the grandad. He came across as too agressive. Even when Jeremy was trying to lose weight he still was just as confrontational

The portrayal of Darwin was superb, especially since I couldn't guess who he really was within this story. He was easily one of the creepiest characters I have read in a book!

Darwin was a great villain and a superbly created character. I was intrigued by him and his obsessive behavior.

Darwin was an amazing character. I loved how he complemented Jeremy. Jeremy was obese and sedentary, and not very disciplined, which was the total opposite of Darwin. Jeremy was everything Darwin was terrified of, which made Darwin the perfect villain and also victim. I felt sorry for him, as he was clearly mentally ill and not in control of his actions. The fact that he tried multiple times to rebel against the voice and do the right thing, even through his warped perception and knowing that it would cause him pain, made me more sympathetic to him than I might otherwise have been. I thought that he was one of the most interesting characters I've come across in quite a while.

I think Darwin made a great villain. His story was my favorite part of the book. He also brought the mental health issue to the book, and while some may say his character bathed mental illness in a negative light, I'd have to disagree. I think if anything it'd make a reader realize that they need to be more aware of the people around them. Darwin wasn't always a villain; at one point he was a mentally ill man who simply needed help, and because he had no one to notice and he himself didn't realize, he didn't get that help. This makes it easy to pity him, almost. Though he was a villain, he was a tragic villain, which makes him even more interesting than he already was.

MatthewAlexander wrote:I think Darwin made a great villain. His story was my favorite part of the book. He also brought the mental health issue to the book, and while some may say his character bathed mental illness in a negative light, I'd have to disagree. I think if anything it'd make a reader realize that they need to be more aware of the people around them. Darwin wasn't always a villain; at one point he was a mentally ill man who simply needed help, and because he had no one to notice and he himself didn't realize, he didn't get that help. This makes it easy to pity him, almost. Though he was a villain, he was a tragic villain, which makes him even more interesting than he already was.

Well said. It's so true that, at the core, Darwin was mentally ill rather than just someone who hated a particular person they had prior dealings with, such as a boss who fired him.

Momlovesbooks wrote:Darwin was a very interesting villain. I hated him, of course, but was really intrigued by his OCD and quirks. I wanted more details of his childhood and what made him turn out the way he did. I wanted to learn more about him, but at the same time, when I read about him I got really creeped out. Crazy, right??

Excellent