Adam Black: Character Connection

Don’t you just love larger-than-life characters? The ones who jump off the page and grab you? Whether you love them or hate them, you can’t be indifferent to them.

I would love to know about the characters who just won’t leave you! Most of you will probably post about how much you love (or loathe) each character, but this is a great place for the more creative ones among you to let go and have fun! Write yourself into a scene with Anne and Diana. Write a love poem in elvish for Aragorn. Draw a picture of Harry obliterating Voldemort. The possibilities are endless.

Be sure to post the book’s title and author, and be very careful not to give away spoilers while talking about how much you love your characters.

Mr. Linky will be posted here on The Introverted Reader every Thursday.

I literally just finished reading Adam & Eve by Sena Jeter Naslund, and while I didn’t love the book, I did love Adam Black.

Photo of Michelangelo’s David taken by David Gaya and posted on Wikimedia Commons

Adam is the embodiment of male beauty.  There’s a period through the middle of the book when he is living in an Eden that seems to be outside time.  Well, how did Adam live in Eden?  Naked as the day he was born.  I couldn’t help but picture his body as being that of Michelangelo’s David.  He is perfectly sculpted.  He has complete confidence that his body can do whatever he asks of it.  But he has blue-black hair and a strong jaw and is actually described as looking like Superman.

There’s more to Adam than physical perfection though.  Where to start?

Lest you think he’s too perfect, I’ll tell you that he’s broken and fragile.  We never get his entire story, but enough is hinted at that my heart just bled for him.  A dreamer growing up with a practical, harsh rancher for a father, his life wasn’t easy.  We don’t know exactly what happened between them, but it has left Adam damaged.  The book is set in the near future, and the war in the Middle East has gone on so long that the draft has been reinstated.  Adam sees some horrific things, and does some things that he believes to be horrific.  He finally ends up kidnapped and horrendously abused before being left for dead.  That’s where we first meet him.  He’s not always entirely sure what’s real, and he lives in a world where he literally walks with God in the cool of the evening.  At least it’s literal in his reality.  In the consensual reality?  Who can say?

He’s also an artist, and that’s all he’s ever really wanted to do.  He’s intelligent and often surprising when he randomly quotes Shakespeare or Keats or references artwork.

He’s a man who loves to take care of others.  That seems to be what anchors him.  He is sensitive to the needs of others and selflessly gives of himself until he is ready to collapse from exhaustion.  Whether it’s fashioning a skillet from junk metal, milking a cow, gathering fruit, or sheer survival and first aid skills, Adam delivers what’s needed.  He is a gentle soul, but if he finds himself in a situation that requires violence, he can deliver violence.  He’s never happy about it, but to protect those he loves, he will do what is necessary.  He has a childlike faith in others, and all he ever really asks for is acceptance and understanding.  Who wouldn’t love this guy?

Who did you connect with this week? Link your post on Mr. Linky, then be sure to go check out the other Character Connections!