Anna Staniszewski

Yes, it’s time for another bit of wisdom from Writing the Breakout Novel. This time it’s on the topic of sidekicks in fiction. Maass begins by acknowledging the traditional uses of sidekicks; crime fiction, for example, is a perfect medium for sidekicks because they balance out the detective and help show just how smart s/he is.

Maass goes on to discuss the other uses for sidekicks:

Are sidekicks useful in other types of novels? Young adult novels are replete with best friends, which is natural to the social structure of high school. Epic or quest fantasy is another type of story that can hardly seem to do without sidekicks.

In other types of novels, though, I have found that sidekicks do not often fit in. Why? Because for the most part, the hero’s problems are personal; or at any rate the plot is more effective when it is the hero and the hero alone who can solve the main problem. Isolating your hero is generally a good idea.

I found the idea of isolating your hero particularly interesting when thinking about MG and YA books. Although Maass says that sidekicks are often found in YA novels, I would say they’re much more prevalent in MG; this seems to be true both of speculative fiction and of realistic fiction. This could be because feelings of isolation tend to be something we associate more with teens than with children. Also, MG novels are often about forging relationships, so there’s plenty of opportunities for sidekicks.

In YA, alienation is often a large theme and what Maass says about the hero’s problems being “personal” often applies to YA. A lot of times we see the main character pulling away from her friends because she feels like they no longer understand her, either because something has happened or because she has started to change in some way. In those cases, it’s almost like part of the story is about the MC figuring out how she relates to the sidekick(s) now that circumstances have changed.

However, there are certainly noteworthy sidekicks in YA. One that stands out in my mind is Hassan in John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines. In fact, I’ve heard more than a few people say that Hassan is actually a more likeable character than the MC in the book! What makes Hassan stand out is his over-the-top personality. If we had to read an entire book about him, however, it might be a bit much.

I suppose, just like with most things in writing, making sidekicks work is all about moderation. Sidekicks can be a great way of conveying information about your MC and they can also be a good source of backstory. But though they might be quirky and interesting, your sidekicks shouldn’t overshadow your MC. And, in the case of YA and a lot of adult fiction, sidekicks (or the lack thereof) can help illustrate the MC’s isolated state.