The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle

Mason Buttle is a 12-year-old middle schooler, and the protagonist and narrator of the novel. He lives in a small town called Merrimack, on an apple orchard that has been run by his family for generations. He has experienced an incredible amount of sadness in a short span of time—first the death of his grandfather, then his mother, and finally the accidental death of his best friend, Benny, the year before the novel takes place. Mason has several learning disabilities that make it impossible for him to read and write. He also sweats excessively, and has synesthesia, which causes him to experience some emotions as colors.

Mason is the largest boy in his class and is bullied. At the beginning of the novel, he struggles to find confidence in himself, but with the help of Grandma, Uncle Drum, Calvin, and Ms. Blinny, he’s able to rewrite his story and find his own kind of intelligence and self-confidence by the end of the novel. He learns how to accept himself as a whole person, including his positive traits and his disabilities. 

Ms. Blinny is the school social worker. She calls her office the SWOOF. She is kind, supportive, and crafty. She is also very clumsy and is always spilling glitter everywhere. Ms. Blinny introduces Mason to a software program called the Dragon, which will allow him to write using voice-to-text commands. Ms. Blinny also encourages Mason to process his grief through storytelling, and to be confident in himself despite his disabilities and misfortunes. 

Benny has been Mason’s best friend since the first grade. He lived up the road from Mason, with his two fathers, Franklin and Andy. He was adopted, and the boys bonded over being different than other kids. Benny built an amazing tree fort with Mason but was found dead at the bottom of that tree fort the year before the novel starts. For Mason, Benny is a loss he grieves throughout the novel. Near the end, as the true culprits of Benny’s death come to light, Mason notes that Benny used to say sunbeams could take you up to heaven, suggesting that Mason has come to accept losing Benny. 

Andy Kilmartin is Benny’s more involved father. He is a carpenter and frequently worked with the boys on projects around the neighborhood and in their home. Mason is devastated when Andy won’t speak to him after Benny’s death, but once the truth comes out and the Kilmartin can move on, Andy apologizes for allowing his grief to change his view of Mason. Andy functions as the voice of the community in the novel; at first, Mason thinks Andy doesn’t want to see him because Mason reminds him of Benny, but later, he realizes that Andy believes Mason is guilty of harming Benny, as does the rest of the community. 

Lieutenant Baird is the police officer who is investigating Benny’s death. He visits Mason frequently and gives him a notebook to record his memories of that day. Lieutenant Baird clearly believes the Mason was the one who sawed the rung that lead to Benny’s fall and death, but once he finds out the truth, he is apologetic and consoles Mason. He even holds Mason when the truth comes out and Mason is sobbing and cannot think straight. Though he is initially an unlikeable character, he comes out to be a good man who is on Mason’s team. 

Uncle Drum is Mason’s uncle and Grandma’s son. He used to take care of the orchard after Grandpa died, but after two years of drought, he quit and started working at the diner. Uncle Drum was the person who sold the acres of orchard land, and he is mostly quiet and introspective. He is deeply supportive of Mason and acts like a father to him, but at the end of the novel, he reveals that he holds himself partially responsible for Mason’s mother’s death. Uncle Drum takes in Shayleen to pay penance for his actions against Mason’s mother because it is important for him to be kind and to be grateful. He is a deeply loving man, and he stands up for Mason when no one else will. 

Grandma is loving, kind, and a good support for Mason. She is a great cook and makes Mason and Calvin banana shakes after school each day. She used to work with disabled children as a teacher’s aide but quit after the deaths of her husband and daughter. She also used to make and sell pies and apple crisp during the apple season, but she stopped doing that, too. Grandma is mostly quiet during the novel, but she ends up being the force behind the family’s rejuvenation. She leads the charge to begin harvesting again and to stop living off the profits of selling the land so Mason has something to inherit. 

Shayleen begins the novel as a wayward stranger who has moved in Mason’s old bedroom. Uncle Drum meets her at the diner and takes her in because she has no money to pay for her own food. Uncle Drum later reveals he felt bad for Shayleen, and she reminded him of Mason’s mom. Shayleen has a spending habit, and she loves ordering things from UPS, though she never uses the things she orders. She doesn’t like to go outside or work, and she is bossy. Mason doesn’t like her for most of the novel, but after Calvin disappears, they are bonded by the grief they feel and become much closer. 

Calvin Chumsky is Mason’s new best friend. He moves into the neighborhood up the hill from Mason’s house, and the boys meet in the SWOOF. Calvin is very small with white blond hair. He carries his tablet around everywhere he goes, researching new things he encounters. His parents are quite protective of Calvin, but they are thrilled when he makes a new friend and is able to play outside, build things, and experience the world in ways they couldn’t have provided him. Calvin is mighty, as Mason describes him, despite his small stature. He is confident and believes in himself and his ability to do anything he sets his mind to. Even after he injures his leg badly, Calvin is in good spirits. He is unflappable, not only surviving brutal attacks from local bullies, but also fighting back. 

Matt Drinker is Mason and Calvin’s bully and Mason’s neighbor. He is violent and taunts the boys. He is also cruel to his dog, Moonie, which disturbs Calvin and Mason. The source of Matt’s problems is never fully revealed, but it seems to be related, in part, to his parents’ strained relationship. At the end of the novel, Mason discovers that Matt was the person who sawed the rung of the ladder so much that it broke, causing Benny to fall to his death. Matt leaves the neighborhood immediately after the discovery, and Mason never sees him again. 

Mrs. Drinker is Matt Drinker’s mother. She is very kind to Mason, and she tries to keep her son in line, but struggles. Her husband travels often for work, so she is usually alone. Mrs. Drinker is devastated when she learns what Matt has done to Benny, and she leaves town quite suddenly. It is rumored that she is defending her son. Mrs. Drinker eventually gives Moonie to Mason because she knows that Mason will love him better than her family can. 

Moonie is the Drinker’s dog. Mason often watches him while the Drinkers are visiting Matt’s dad, who travels for work. Moonie is a well-mannered and sweet dog, though he’s also an escape artist. He chooses Mason as his favorite boy, leading to Mason’s eventual adoption of Moonie. 

Annalissetta Yang is a girl from Mason’s middle school, whom Mason runs into in the hallway. He also sees her frequently in the SWOOF. She has cerebral palsy but refuses to be seen as less able. When she first meets Mason, she says, “I am capable. I can do things for myself. So if you help me when I don’t need help, you underestimate me” (60). She functions as an inspiration for Mason, who must create his own story. At the end of the novel, Grandma starts watching Annalissetta after school.