Sully, Messed Up

EXCERPT FROM SULLY, MESSED UP:

“Out of bed this minute, Sullivan Brewster.”

Sully woke to the whack of his mother’s fist on his bedroom door.

“You’re going to miss the bus if you don’t get a move on.”

He pushed his curtains aside with his foot. Darkness still crouched at the window and clung to the corners of his room.

“Did you hear me?”

“I heard you, Mom. I’m getting up.”

“Come on, Sleepybones. You’ve had all summer to sleep in. You don’t want to be late on your first day of Grade 9.”

Sully rolled his eyes and rolled over.

“I’m up. I’m up.”

“Breakfast in ten. Pedal to the metal, Sullivan.”

Untwisting himself from his sheets, Sully stumbled to his feet and hitched up his boxers. He shuffled across the hall and flicked on the bathroom light.

And screamed.

“Sullivan?”

“It’s okay, Mom.”

It wasn’t okay.

Sully jerked back at the sight of something inhuman staring at him from inside the bathroom mirror. The creature in the mirror jolted back at the exact same moment.

Sully thrust his arms in front of his face to push the apparition away. The creature mimicked the gesture in perfect unison. Its muddy brown hair rippled in loose curls to its shoulders in exactly the way Sully’s did, and its pasty white skin became whiter still as Sully felt the color drain from his own pale face.

It was wearing Sully’s boxers.

Through the weave of his fingers, Sully spied the creature spying at him through the weave of its fingers. With a shriek, he realized he was looking at himself.

But not himself.

Sully leaned into the mirror, meeting his reflection halfway.

His nose, pink and dripping, hunkered sideways on his left temple. One of his ears—it was hard to tell which one from the unfamiliar angle—bulged where his nose should have been. The other protruded, antenna-like, right above his lips, which quivered, post-scream, in the middle of his forehead.

Thinking he might still be asleep, Sully pinched the soft skin on the inside of his arm.

“Ow!”

He rubbed his eyes, one on either side of his chin, and squinted at his reflection again.

Nothing changed. He still looked like a frightened Picasso or deranged Mr. Potato Head. As he watched, the black hole in the middle of his forehead opened wider, spilling shrill sound into his ears, perched just north and south of the eruption.

Sully slapped one hand across his forehead to stop the sound, the other over his chin to block the image. He staggered backward out of the bathroom and tripped across the hallway into his room. Twisted configurations of socks and t-shirts grabbed his ankles, causing him to slide head-first across his bedroom floor on a direct collision course with his dresser.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM:

Sully Brewster has the parent of all identity problems in a fast-paced story that touches on issues of sexuality, race, and family dynamics. Being a teen has never been so confusing! – Richard Scrimger

SULLY, MESSED UP REVIEWS

“Sully, Messed Up, a believable, contemporary story, uses humour to approach some very deep, thorny issues: school hazing, bullying, race, sexual dynamics and family violence. The Grade 9 main character, Sully, has a victim mentality and doesn’t understand how to stop attracting bullies … [but] by story’s end, he has done a gradual and well-paced change to becoming more assertive and less selfish. Sully, Messed Up is very heavy on dialogue which is consistently well crafted. The writing is delightful.

“The dialogue … is crisp, creative and fun. The pacing is flawless, and the plot is compelling. The bullies are uber-mean and the bullying situations are grave. … Then there’s the touch of magic realism in which the main character’s facial features start churning about when he is stressed.

“[In this] read that already qualifies as one difficult to put down … if the humour-violence combo doesn’t put you off, go for it. Perhaps Sully, Messed Up is a winning formula for coaxing today’s teens to contemplate today’s dark issues.”

– CM Magazine – Recommended

Who is Sullivan Brewster? He’s Sullivan to his mom, Rooster to his little sister Eva, and Van to his stepdad Bill. He’s Sully to his friend [Morsixx]. And to those who don’t know him or want to target him, he becomes Bella, Sally and a host of horrible nicknames. Is it any wonder that thirteen-year-old Sully doesn’t know who he is or what he should be doing or who his friends are? He truly is messed up, and that doesn’t even count the messing up he’s getting from a trio of bullies named Tank, Ox and Dodger.

Sully’s story seems to start on that first day of Grade 9 when he wakes up with his facial elements relocated around his head.

“His nose, pink and dripping, hunkered sideways on his left temple. One of his ears–it was hard to tell which one from the unfamiliar angle–bulged where his nose should have been. The other protruded, antenna-like, right above his lips, which quivered, post-scream, in the middle of his forehead.” (pg. 9)

… while Sully has been victimized, Stephanie Simpson McLellan tries not to play up the young teen as a victim. He is instead confused or rather messed up. He’s got all the basics–friends, family, the will– to make things right but, like his face, things just haven’t fallen into place correctly. Fortunately, when he can see beyond his personal disasters and into those of others, Sully learns to stand up for himself and help himself adapt. This is an important message for young people and, amidst all Sully’s struggles, it’s one that Stephanie Simpson McLellan emphasizes. With some insight and a little help from others, Sully is finally able to put to rights his situation and find himself.
• • • • • • • • •
Read my interview with author Stephanie Simpson McLellan about Sully, Messed Up. For middle-graders and early young adults and their parents and their teachers, this Q & A will speak to all of you.

– CanLit for LittleCanadians

“Sully, Messed Up ultimately satisfies … [and lends] insight into the high-stakes struggles of early adolescence.”

– Quill & Quire

“Intermediate and senior level students, especially, will identify with the characters and themes of the book. The novel explores the question of how a child can form a healthy identity when they are bullied for long stretches of time, and opens the door for positive classroom discussions.”

– Professionally Speaking (The publication of Ontario College of Teachers)

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

It’s no secret that schoolyard bullying is a reality. I volunteered in my children’s classrooms when they were younger, and was dismayed to see that some kids become bullies even in kindergarten. My son is deaf in one ear, which made him appear a little different to others, which in turn made him feel a little unsure of himself. Bullies smell fear and pounce on insecurities, and it took some time for my son to find his way through this.

Let’s just say that the way he navigated elementary school inspired the character of Sully, and the change in his attitude and feelings about himself, along with the way he reinvented his “look,” inspired the character of Morsixx.