Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday. This meme is hosted by Jana, otherwise known as That Artsy Reader Girl. Today’s topic surrounds side characters in books who didn’t get enough air time and deserve their own book. Wow, this one is a bit challenging, but I’m looking forward to revisiting some of my past reads.

Brutus Howell, The Green Mile by Stephen King

Admittedly, this one really has much more to do with the movie than it does the book. The adaptation for The Green Mile was hands down one of the best I’ve ever seen, and it really goes down to the casting across the board. Michael Clarke Duncan was just perfection as John Coffey. But there was something about the way David Morse played Brutus that simply made me love him. Maybe it’s the kindness of his face, but when I finally got around to reading the book, it was, of course, Morse I pictured even though he’s not particularly what’s described as the character in the book, though his demeanor matches quite well.

Uncle Willy “Unc” from Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin

To be fair, this book is very much about Uncle Willy, but we don’t really get his perspective except for his brief “Willyisms” that are so full of wisdom. Maybe it’s better to see his character through the eyes of someone else, as Uncle Willy is extremely humble, but that also means there’s so much more going on in his head. His story is so incredibly heartbreaking, but we don’t really get to immerse ourselves in the true depth of his emotion.

Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Ok, I couldn’t NOT do this one. For some reason, I always had much more of an affinity for Neville than any other character. He’s just so wonderful, quirky, and authentic. I think it would be great to get something from Neville’s point of view.

Mogget from The Abhorsen series (Old Kingdom) by Garth Nix

I positively adored Mogget. In the books, he mostly appears as a snarky white cat, an extremely powerful being trapped in the body of a small furry companion. I listened to this whole series, which is expertly narrated by Tim Curry, and his voicing for Mogget was literally the most spectacular thing about the books. I would trek across the universe for something from his perspective.

Rosie from Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

As you can see, I’m fond of the animal’s perspective. This would be a very different kind of book seeing things from the perspective of Rosie. Rosie was the elephant, and if you’ve read this book, you know she plays an incredibly pivotal role in the novel. How fascinating it would be to see things through the eyes of such a remarkable and intelligent creature who sees all and isn’t able to truly communicate her feelings.

Rocky from Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

If you haven’t read this book, I don’t want to spoil anything. But Rocky was my favorite character and I positively loved him. I think things would be fascinating from his perspective. Also, if you haven’t read this, go read it right now!

Deborah from The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

This is a rather interesting one. Deborah is a bit of an absent character in the novel. She’s the dead mother of Lily Owens, and the novel follows Lily’s quest to find out what really happened to her mother. I think it would be interesting to read a prequel from Deborah’s perspective, but I think this could also work from T. Ray’s perspective, Lily’s father. Either way, you have a character whose depth we haven’t really fully explored.

Margo from Paper Towns by John Green

Ok, now this one isn’t for the reason you think. While I liked this novel, I did NOT like Margo. But I think this really comes down to the fact that I didn’t really understand her. Perhaps seeing things a little bit from her perspective would help with this issue, so she is still one who comes to mind. Perhaps I wouldn’t feel so detached from her and wouldn’t judge her so harshly for her selfishness.

Lou Carmody from NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

I really liked Lou in this book. I thought he was somewhat of a moral center, from what I can remember. It’s been a while. Though he wasn’t perfect, he was someone Vic could actually count on. I think his perspective would be unique and endearing, though maybe not quite right for a horror novel, because he’s just too timid and good natured.

Richie from The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

This is a great opportunity for O’Leary to do a companion book. Richie’s story is so full of things that we just get a periphery glance at. And, sure, we do get the finalization of his story, so to read a book about him we would be going into it knowing what inevitably happens, but it would be really great to get the context and the in-between stuff, and it would be great to get to know Richie in a way that isn’t just phone calls and letters and a brief part at the end of The Flatshare. He’s a great character who is enigmatic, and we could see both where he goes after the novel and all the stuff that happened before to land him in prison.

And that’s it! Those are my choices for secondary characters who need a story of their own. Hope you enjoyed, and I look forward to hearing your choices as well. Happy Reading!