The Night Bus Hero
Summary:
Hector is a bully who is used to getting in trouble and doesn’t care what people think of him. In fact, Hector is proud of how he teases and terrifies other people, and he is encouraged by his friends Will and Katie. One day, Hector’s pranks go too far and he is responsible for destroying a homeless man’s only possessions. His lies and inability to admit when he is wrong end up causing this man even more harm. However, Hector is determined he can show the world he can do what is right, and to bring justice for those most harmed by inequality.
Edited by: Dublin City University
Comment:
The novel explores gendered expressions of feeling insecure and unloved, through the character of Hector, whose story at the beginning of the novel teeters on the brink of bold schoolboy moving into professional bully. There is a focus on feelings versus exteriors through Hector’s determination to live up to his ‘bad boy’ persona, contrasted with his feelings that adults do not like him and his responses to the lack of attention and stability he receives from his parents. However, Hector is not the simplistic character of damaged boy who is good at heart: many of his actions are deeply abhorrent, from the racism that underpins his bullying of Mei-Li, an Asian girl in his class, and his continual rejection of her throughout the narrative, even when it appears he has begun to turn his attitude around. The beginnings of a toxic masculinity are apparent throughout in Hector’s greatest fear of being humiliated, even by those who have much less power and privilege than himself, such as Thomas, the homeless man, and Mei-Li. The book develops the theme of bully redeemed into an empathetic look at the difficulty those on the margins of society through the homeless people that he meets.