In a way Justin Dawson is an allegory for some of the things I wished for after I was grown. I wanted to be a more mischievous child, to have a twin or a younger sibling. Justin is a bit more daring than myself. I don't know if I would step on a strange, haunted looking train, but he does share some interesting similarities. He's smart, witty, and very kind at heart. I hear people say that one should not make characters Mary Sue, a reflection of themselves. But really, isn't that what any character is?
We all write bits of ourselves into our characters. Whether it is good or bad, realistic or imagined, our characters reflect aspects of our own true being. Justin was an aspiration of my youth, and in a way he reflects what I looked like back then, curly brown hair, freckles and sky blue eyes. He's got a fondness for red converse sneakers which I still have, and he is struggling internally with the death of someone close to him.
I think I mentioned this before but I often ask kids what they think about the characters once they read the book and the reaction to Justin is always that they know someone like this. Justin is their brother, their friend, their cousin, whatever. They relate very much to him. In a way that makes me very proud because he is me as the narrator of this strange journey.
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