History Literature / TheBoyWhoDrewMonsters

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: All of the characters, even Jack, are particularly unlikable (though all have their moments) and in the end, you start not to care to what happens to anyone.

* Darkness-InducedAudienceApathy: All of the characters, even Jack, are particularly unlikable (though all have their moments) and in the end, you start not to care to what happens to anyone.

* WhyAreYouNotMySon: Tim sees Nick as the normal child he could have had, and Nick's mother Nell as the wife he could have had in another life.

* RaisedCatholic: Holly came from a Catholic family, but deconverted before she married Tim. Because of the problems in her life, she starts going to church as a coping mechanism, and she befriends Father Bolden and his Japanese housekeeper Miss Tiramaku, both of whom attempt to offer advice. Miss Tiramaku, who is autistic herself, tries to get through to Jack Peter, with somewhat more success than his parents.

* NotNowKiddo: Holly arrives home to find Jack Peter and Nick alone. Jack Peter tells her, "He's out there. Daddy tried to catch the monster," and offers to show her a drawing of it. Holly says, "Jack, honey, I have to listen to Nick now - can you be quiet, please?" She doesn't believe him until Tim arrives home hours later, covered in blood.

* HomeschooledKids: At the start of the book, Tim has homeschooled Jack Peter through third, fourth, and half of fifth grade.

* WhyCoudntYouBeDifferent: Even before Jack Peter developed his phobia, Holly viewed him as broken and longed for him to be normal. Although Tim is superficially more accepting and understanding of Jack Peter, that's just because he's convinced himself that he could potentially be normal, and used to take him to neurologists, therapists, and herbalists in search of a cure.

* OnlyFriend: Jack Peter used to have friends in school, but after he developed his phobia, all of them stopped visiting him except for Nick. Although Nick has other friends, Jack Peter is the only one he sees outside of school, since the others are all put off by his alcolic parents.

* CacophonyCoverUp: When Miss Tiramaku goes to talk to Jack Peter, Tim, who disapproves of her, puts on a Music/FrankSinatra record so he and Holly can have a private conversation about her.

* HandshakeRefusal: When Jack Peter spots some old bones on the beach through binoculars, his parents call the police. The officer tries to shake Jack Peter's hand, but he stays a safe distance away.

Jack Peter Keenan, a ten-year-old autistic boy living in a house by the sea in Maine, has been terrified to go outside ever since a near-drowning incident when he was seven. He spends his time playing with his one friend, Nick Weller, and drawing pictures of monsters. When apparitions from Jack's drawings start appearing in the real world, his parents, Tim and Holly, look for answers. But only Jack knows the truth.

* FamilyVersusCareer: Tim was once planning to go back to college and finish his degree, but when Jack came along, it was decided that Tim would be a stay at home dad, since Holly, as a lawyer, made more money than he did. Now Tim works as a caretaker for rich people's summer homes, a job that leaves him with plenty of free time for taking care of Jack.
* FleetingPassionateHobbies: Before Jack started drawing monsters, his obsessions were, in reverse chronological order, toy soldiers, board games, comic books, baseball on the radio, and model ships. There were earlier ones, but Nick doesn't remember them.
* HatesBeingTouched: Jack was once an affectionate boy, but since his near-drowning, he only reluctantly tolerates touch. If people touch him without warning, he hits them.
* HomeschooledKids: At the start of the book, Tim has homeschooled Jack through third, fourth, and half of fifth grade.
* OnlyFriend: Jack used to have friends in school, but after he developed his phobia, all of them stopped visiting him except for Nick. Although Nick has other friends, Jack is the only one he sees outside of school, since the others are all put off by his alcolic parents.
* TheShutIn: Jack only leaves the house for doctor's appointments. Tim wraps him tightly in a stadium blanket on the way to and from the car.