Keeping 13

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss emotional and physical abuse and substance use disorder.

Shannon Lynch is 16 years old. She is one of the point-of-view characters in the novel and a protagonist. She is described by others as beautiful but thin, suffering from severe anxiety, and eating very rarely. At the start of the novel, she is in the hospital after being physically assaulted by her father. She nearly dies from a collapsed lung but is saved by her brother, Joey. She becomes Johnny’s boyfriend in the text, falling in love with him.

As a dynamic character, Shannon changes throughout the novel. At the beginning, she is timid in many aspects of her life, largely due to the abuse from her father and the bullying she underwent at her old school. She frequently asks Johnny for permission to do things—frustrating him—while struggling to convey her feelings. She also battles with Darren when he tries to get her to stay at home and away from Johnny. However, she slowly begins to open up with Johnny, feeling more confident in their relationship while also beginning to push back against Darren’s rules and overprotectiveness. In her final confrontation with Bella, it becomes clear how much she has changed when she chooses to forgive her—rather than running in fear or letting her friends fight Bella.