#stranger things book

[nebraska-is-a-myth]

Abuse in 'Runaway Max': A Stranger Things criticism

One thing I know to keep in mind is that the book is told from Max’s perspective, so it's her eyes we experience the world from, and her opinions that guide us through the story. For that we have to value her as a somewhat unreliable narrator, considering she is thirteen at the time and dosnt understand certain things.

A quick timeline to keep in mind because the book handles time very messily:

Billy has just turned 17 by the time Max and Billy first meet.

After Halloween in season 2, Max says she’s known Billy for 7 months, which takes us back to early May.

They move in together three weeks after the wedding in late June, meaning Max and Billy have lived together for a total of 5 months by the time they get to Hawkins.

Neil confiscates Billy's car keys for two months in June, so I’ve taken an educated guess that Max first witnesses Neil's abuse somewhere around august, then in September/October Billy breaks Max’s friends arm, leaving for Hawkins late October.

Now onto the deep dive:

In 'Runaway Max', we learn about the terrible Hargrove family dynamic, and how the Mayfield's learn to navigate that. Max gets a very graphic front row seat of Billy's abuse in chapter 10, and during that chapter Max responds to that situation as any 13 year old would, scared and confused. Despite this however, Billy's image doesn't change in Max’s mind. She has no visible compassion for Billy at any point of the book except from this chapter, and after that she states that she’s actively trying not to care about “his stupid life and his cruel dad”. 

From a writing standpoint, choosing this to be a part of Max’s character takes away from her complex experiences in an abusive household. Yes Max is a hardened character, but not exploring these difficult topics of disliking Billy while also feeling sorry for him makes her feel like just another pawn for the audience to make them dislike Billy. The writers could have made the step-siblings dynamic much more interesting to have them navigate this terrifying experience together. But I understand the duffers just wanted another one dimensional antagonist for season 2.

"I'd watched the Hargroves in action. Neil standing over billy with the belt - calling me a stupid little girl - making it clear that he thought I was weak and pointless. Knowing Neil believed that still wasnt as bad as the way Billy had hated me for trying to help him"

I have mixed feelings about this. I feel this description Max gives dutiful to anyone going through that situation, that they would feel disheartened by someone rejecting their help, and verbally berating them for it. However, it’s vitally important to understand the context of Why Billy reacts to Max this way.

During the assault on Billy that Max witnesses, Max calls out and interrupts Neil, trying to diffuse the situation. Neil responds not to Max, but to Billy “Is this the son I raised? A worthless loser who needs a little girl to fight his battles for him?” And then strikes billy again. 

Max assumes this to be an attack on her, however that's not what's happening at all. Neil is using Max against Billy. He takes Max’s intervention as a sign of Billy's own weakness, a softness. “Any hint of softness and he would never let me forget” In a way Billy had been trying to teach Max to harden herself so that Neil couldn't find anything to target her for, Billy had been making her more likeable for Neil. And now this softness that Max is showing for Billy, by standing up for him, is getting him punished. It’s been implied before that this was the case, but now we are seeing it explicitly that Billy is being punished for Max’s actions. This chain reaction forces Billy into a position where he cannot be on Maxes side, he cannot be friends with Max, because siding with anyone other than his father equals punishment.

After Neil leaves, we circle back round to the sentence “Sometimes Billy acted like we were in on some big, crucial secret together / like we were in some sort of secret club together - like we could be on the same team” Billy had been trying to tell her from the beginning, they were both members of a club trying to navigate life with Neil Hargrove, bonded by shared experience. They were supposed to be on the same team too, victims of Neil, but Neil has made that impossible by using Max against Billy. “I could see all the ways he hated me” Neil isolates one from the other, Billy resents Max for getting him hurt, and Max resents Billy for rejecting her.

During most of the sections of the book that happen in Hawkins, Max continues to call Billy a “Monster”. However, never Neil. It’s not untrue that Billy has a mean streak, he can be cruel and heartless, most notably when he breaks the arm of one of Max’s friends. The only time this level of violence is seen in Hawkins is during the fight with Steve.

Both of these big outbursts of rage are built up by attacks from Neil. Note: Billy is still an asshole, these are not excuses for his actions only explanations.

Yes, there are two occasions in which Billy grabs hold of Max’s arm, but there is an argument to be made that this is just normal sibling behaviour. Have you never pushed or shoved your sibling before, or been on the receiving end of that physicality. It’s not always pleasant, but it’s not uncommon for siblings to get physical during disagreements. Max is also only distressed by this on the first occasion, “He caught me by the arm, and it wasn't the first time he’s ever touched me, but other times had always been to push me out of the way in the kitchen or flick me on the end of my nose. This time, his fingers closed hard around my elbow” - however the second and last time goes like this “He reached out fast and caught me by the wrist”. Those are the only times Billy is ever physical with Max.

Despite this, Billy is still the monster. “Billy was the closest thing to one that I had ever known - this was what it meant to live with the monster.” Monster singular. Billy is the most terrible thing living in the Hargrove home, not the man who beats his son.

Personally I find something off putting with Max ranking Billy as a worse monster than Neil. During the night at the byers she says "I understood now that Neil was in his head, and that meant he was just as dangerous as his father. Worse because Neil was cruel and frightening but he cared how things looked on the outside. Billy was crazy" Max isn't stupid, she knows Neil is a bad person, and maybe from Maxes point of view Billy is worse than Neil because Neil hasn't ever physically hurt her. But from a writer's point of view, to say that the victim is worse than the abuser? That is both dangerous and honestly disgusting. To call Billy crazy, and insinuate that he’s acting like a ‘bad victim’ because he doesn't pretend that everything is normal is so hurtful to victims of abuse who see themselves in Billy. 

Continuing this thought, Max then goes on to compare Billy to a recently possessed Will. Which, first off, comparing abuse is never okay. But what Max says is almost worse, "Will had turned into something terrible and frightening, but even with the mind flayer working through him, he was trying not to let it. He'd almost gotten us killed, but you couldn't blame him because he didn't ask for this. He was trying so hard to stop it" Is the author trying to say that Billy should try harder to not let the abuse he has been experiencing at the hands of his father since before he was ten, affect him? Because if Brenna Yovanoff is using Will as a ‘good’ example of a victim of parental abuse, and using him to discount Billy's own experiences, then I’m sorry but who let this book go to print?

Obviously as a character Max choosing this comparison means very little to her because she doesn't know about Lonnie, but the writers do. Comparing Billy to will is a choice.

Billy and will have both experienced abuse from their fathers. Will is on one side of the spectrum of victims, quiet, timid and apologetic. Billy is on the opposite end of that spectrum, his experiences have hardened him, made him angry about what's happening to him. Billy isn't quiet, he’s an asshole and he has issues with authority, but the one thing that sets Billy and Will apart is the fact that Billy is still experiencing that abuse.

Will is a survivor, Billy isn't.

To imply that "you can't blame Will because he didn't ask for it", but it’s okay to blame Billy, does that mean we are supposed to think Billy is asking for it?

There are choices writers make in the information they reveal to their readers, the phrasing that is used and the comparisons they make. It speaks volumes that while Will is praised for his experiences and bravery with his dad, Billy is called a monster for acting out because of those same experiences.

I mean, tell me you're a writer who doesn't understand the complex reactions to abuse without telling me you only care about “good” reactions to abuse.

[annoyingexboyfriend]

AN EDDIE MUNSON BOOK?!

icarus' flight is a metaphor for man's overreaching of his limits and coming to a sticky end as a result

DONT DO THIS TO ME!

Flight of Icarus, which Penguin Random House will publish Oct. 31, is set in 1984, two years before the events of Stranger Things season 4.

[this-is-the-truth-0]

Book 👏 Eddie 👏 is 👏 STILL 👏 the 👏 original, 👏 canon, 👏 Eddie because was written with the script before Joseph characterized him, it's exactly how he's supposed to be. Hate the book for this reason is just silly. And is useless you google if the Stranger Things novels are not canon, this book was written by the one who CREATED Eddie. So quit spamming the tag with your bs and get things right before opening your mouth!! There's no need to be so arrogant over a book. Thank you.

[byleranalysis]

I am sincerely asking for anyone to perhaps— share the new Stranger Things book: Heroes and Monsters (Choose your own Adventure): Stranger Things

I am a college student and already penny pinching as is but love this franchise so so much. I’d really appreciate it if someone were to share <3 Thank you!

[1-8oo-wtfbro]

y’all i’m gonna throw up just found out PAPA got a book before steve sick and twisted SICK AND TWISTED

[rougarouuu]

Currently thinking about Robin Buckley from Stanger Things

I just finished listening to Rebel Robin, the podcast, and so this post is confined to JUST the context of that series, so heads up, there's gonna be spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk!

!! SPOILERS AHEAD !!

I loved Rebel Robin so so much. And like, I love how much of an in-depth look we get to take on her character in this series. Like yeah, we get to see her through the series, but since this is so focused on her we get to see more of a look at her inner monologue.

I think my favorite part of the podcast (and I have a few favorites) was Robin explaining to Mr. Hauser that she doesn't want to stand out too much, even academically, because she needs to stay in her camouflage. This happens in Episode three, "The Inferno" (thank you to @clowns-are-cool for making a transcript of the podcast!!) Mr. Hauser and Robin discuss this in which Mr. Hauser asks her why she's reading Dante's Inferno in the original translation, and she says that she "likes a challenge." When Mr. Hauser asks her why she isn't in advanced classes, Robin explains that she tries so hard to be painfully average and go unnoticed. They have a bit of a back-and-forth, jumping from topic to topic, and eventually, it shifts to Barb, but that's not what I'm referring to here.

Robin, in this scene, breaks down what I think a lot of people feel, and I know that I felt like this myself in High school and I'm breaking out of that now in college, but -- the mindset that you can't stick out too much or you'll be mocked no matter what. Robin's fear of being the nerd, fear of being chewed up by "The Hawkins Monster", which is really just high school society breaking you down until you fit in, and Robin doesn't want to lose her individuality. And this kind of goes back to her saying the following:

"I hope so. Because otherwise- If I'm totally honest with myself I'm scared of really truly rebelling and it feels like I'm close sometimes you know? Like I'm almost someone who is unique and interesting and unafraid but the camouflage is working too well and I'll turn into someone who never fights at all because I never decided who I wanted to be and I worry that if I- If I don't figure it out soon that someone else is going to decide for me" -Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins Episode 2, "Frankenstein"

She explains that she gets really close to rebelling, but doesn't. But what I don't think she understands is that her teetering on the edge of society by not fitting in and pushing back against the expectations and trying to fight "the system" is a bit of a rebel against society. She IS someone whos interesting and unique, maybe not entirely unafraid but she still gets close to it with how brave she is for following behind Dash in "The Outsiders" (Ep. 5), and saving Mr. Hauser from being essentially stalked. She is all of these things she just doesn't realize it because she doesn't fit her idealized version of this description, I think. She has decided for herself, she just doesn't see it yet.

Another thing that I really love is the way that Robin puts two and two together about Mr. Hauser's sexuality in the end, and she doesn't make it a big deal. She has her moment of realization, and she processes it, and then she immediately hatches a plan to protect her favorite teacher. She immediately came up with a plan to keep him safe and threatened Dash into staying in line, essentially, with her false accusation of pulling the fire alarm. Personally, I love this scene because it shows her connection with someone else on a deeper level than just "outsiders in this society", it's beyond that. It goes into Robin seeing someone like her. Seeing someone who is unconventional and, while afraid to be himself, still becomes a role model and is still passionate about his job and the life he's made for himself. And I know that some people might think that that twist is so unnecessary and not needed, but I think it's a key part of Robin coming to terms with herself and her own sexuality. I think that's why the smile that Mr. Hauser gives her at the end means. The happy-yet-sad smile. I think he's happy that she's coming to terms with herself, but he's sad that she's going to have to live her life in fear and not be open about herself, either. He sees himself in her. He sees his potentially awkward, askance, fifteen-year-old self who didn't fit in anywhere trying so badly to figure out why the system is so against him. And he sees it in Robin throughout this entire time that they get to know each other. He's happy that she has someone she can see herself in but he's sad because he's been along the same exact journey that Robin's walking on and he knows it isn't easy.

I have so much more I can say on this podcast but I also want to read the book, so I might ramble more and more every now and again but I wanna get the full picture before I make any assumptions. This post was entirely impulsive though so who knows what'll happen. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk :) Feel free to add on / comment / ask anything I'm so absorbed into this world right now /pos

[str4wb3rry-guy]

i think i am going to die i am so excited for the flight of icarus book help

my one request: eddie munson has a hate crush on steve harrington. thats it.

[lunastar92]

I wonder who'll narrate....

I follow a couple of audiobook narrators on ig.

[wanna-bewitch-you]

This is kinda niche, but I’ve been reading the Stranger Things books and now I need one focusing on Steve that is entitled “Always The Babysitter”.

[gag-me-munson]

Soooo this book has been way fun so far

Almost halfway done and I'm so happy I ordered it.

Have you read any of the ST books?

[catharusustulatus]

I just love how Steve Harrington was supposed to be killed off after a couple of episodes but Joe Keery was so charming and so likable they rewrote the whole season and show to keep him alive like he really Darren Criss’d it. He is that bitch. He gave the Duffers the ol razzle dazzle and now he IS the show for most normies. My uncle who has never watched ST and doesn’t even have Netflix loves Steve on vibes alone. The people’s prince.

[monomoss]

romanticpreraphaelite // stranger things season 4 vol. 2 // monomoss // never love an anchor - the crane wives // house m.d. // ? // starpeace // dead poets society

[wolfstardaughter-jj]

[b4kuch1n]

polymer broadcast signal hijack

[anaxibiaclark]

Steve has a tell when he starts dating someone, which is why Robin always knows when Steve is going on a hot date. There is a cologne that he designates only for date nights. This is how Robin finds out that Steve and Eddie are dating.

"So, who's the lucky lady this time?" Robin asks, leaning over the counter dangling Steve's keys in front of him with a shit eating grin.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Steve responds, rolling his eyes.

Before he can grab for his keys Robin pulls them away. "I know you're going on a hot date because of what you're wearing."

Steve scoffs, trying to grab for his keys again with no luck, watching Robin pocket them in horror.

Robin smirks as she looks him up and down. "You're wearing a Henley tucked into the tightest pair of Levi's you can squeeze that ass into..."

"Jesus, Robin." Steve breaths out, ears turning a shade of pink. "I'm..."

Robin puts up a hand to stop him from speaking even further. "Let me finish." She says smugly. "And to top it off you're wearing Drakkar Noir, which always screams, STEVE HARRINGTON IS GETTING LAID." Robin finishes her sentence with a wide grin, seeing as the pink from his ears has now spread to his entire face making it's way down his neck.

Before either one of them can speak the bell jingles as the door to Family Video opens.

"Come on Harrington," Eddie booms from the open door. "I want to get to the diner before anyone can take our booth."

Steve offers a slow smile to Robin, seeing that her jaw has dropped in pure shock. "Can I have my keys now?"

Still speechless, she digs his keys out of her pocket and places them in Steve's hand.

Just as he's about to pull away she grabs his wrist, "I want details, Harrington."

"In your dreams, Buckley."