A Mango-Shaped Space

Jenna is Mia’s best friend. The two have been close “since [they] were five and [Jenna’s] mother brought her to [Mia’s] house to play” (11). Jenna has freckles and red hair and is short like Mia. The defining aspect of Jenna’s character is that her mother died of cancer three years before the story begins. That loss is still very present in Jenna’s life: when she and Mia walk in the woods, she surreptitiously looks behind bushes, hoping to find secret doorways to another world where she might find her mother. Jenna’s actions mirror Mia’s desire to remain in childhood; Mass hence presents another character who is undergoing her own coming-of-age transition—one that is oblique in the text. Every Wednesday morning, Jenna and her father visit the cemetery where her mother is buried. Jenna is absent for much of the narrative. Mass presents her as a fairly mature if emotionally volatile teenager.

Jenna’s relationship with Mia forms the secondary conflict in the novel. Because of her experiences with her mother’s illness, Jenna reacts badly to hearing other people’s medical news, and she is hence deeply hurt that Mia kept her synesthesia a secret for so long. Mass implies that Jenna’s own coming-of-age narrative has more of a romantic element to it than Mia’s since much of her energy goes toward her upcoming birthday party that some boys will be attending. The other major challenge in Jenna’s life is that her father has recently started dating again. Jenna harbors a profound dislike of Rebecca, her father’s new girlfriend. All of these factors add strain to the relationship between Jenna and Mia, resulting in a series of arguments that stretch across most of the book, accelerating and stagnating in relation to the other threads of the plot.

The tensions between Mia and Jenna come to a head during the novel’s climax just after Mango dies. Jenna tries to comfort Mia, but Mia retorts that Jenna was not responsible for killing her mother. At the end of the book, Jenna and Mia resolve their differences; their new friendship bracelets symbolize the renewal of their connection. When Jenna and Mia are finally able to cry together, they have reached a new level of understanding and mutual compassion.

Beth is Mia’s older sister. At 16, she has just completed a summer college prep program in California when the story begins. Like all members of Mia’s family, Beth is perceived to be a little unusual by others. She appears to have changed considerably since Mia last saw her. Before going to California, Beth would “[change] her hair color the way normal people change their underwear” (13). She has been introduced to some new ideas during her summer course. Now, she collects herbs, lights candles, and refuses to eat meat. To some extent, these changes make it easier for Beth and Mia to get along. Beth begins the novel having undergone a coming-of-age and her character represents the development that is ahead of Mia in her life.

Mia and Beth were closer when they were younger, but Beth has pulled away from Mia as she has gotten older. The two argue regularly, but they do not have serious arguments. When Mia explains her synesthesia to Beth, she finds that her sister is unexpectedly supportive and respectful. Beth does not change much over the course of A Mango-Shaped Space; her change takes place before the narrative even begins. Everyone in Mia’s family is eccentric, and Mia’s parents allow their children space to explore that eccentricity even when it is inconvenient, as in the case of Beth’s vegetarianism, a plot point that relates to the theme of Being Considerate of Others. 

Zack is Mia’s younger brother. He is 11 years old and is the only member of the Winchell family with blond hair. Zack’s claim to fame is the detailed chart that he keeps of every McDonald’s hamburger that he has ever eaten, something that juxtaposes with Beth’s vegetarianism; together Mass uses these plot points to subtly address questions of consumerism in relation to the theme of Being Considerate of Others.

Unlike his sisters, Zack is not yet a teenager. He is profoundly superstitious and tries to make his family members follow his beliefs by doing things like walking around the house backwards if they walk under a ladder. Like Beth, Zack undergoes little change in A Mango-Shaped Space. He is mostly absorbed in his own life and is not especially interested in Mia’s journey. He is just starting to become interested in girls and has a crush on Mia’s tutor. Each of the three siblings hence represent a different stage of a coming-of-age journey.

When Zack first learns about Mia’s synesthesia, he teases her about it, calling her the Missing Link to imply that she is less evolved than other people. While Mia finds this teasing irritating, it does not really upset her as she finds her own ways to insult her brother. Toward the end of the book, Zack has one moment of character development in which he really stands up for Mia. He tells Billy’s mother that his “sister doesn’t have a disease. She has a gift” (234).

Mia’s mother and father are broadly supportive figures in Mia’s coming-of-age narrative, though they are sometimes out of their depth when it comes to understanding Mia’s synesthesia. Mia’s father is a farm equipment salesman, while her mother used to be a high school science teacher. Now, her mother is a stay-at-home parent and her father is constantly remodeling the already sprawling and strange family home. Between them, they represented the dualistic aspects of Mia’s personality in the narrative: remaining in childhood and yet striving for development. Both of them are happy to support their children’s interests and allow them to be themselves.

Initially, both of Mia’s parents struggle to understand and accept what she tells them about her colors. Mia’s mother suggests that she must have simply memorized the colors of the letters on a set of blocks that she had as a child, and both worry that she might have a disease. Despite their initially difficult response, they both do what they can to help Mia to learn more about synesthesia, including bringing her to several specialist appointments and letting her participate in the synesthesia conference. They are hence vital elements of the journeys that Mass uses to alternate the settings of the novel and allow Mia to have new experiences and meet new people.

Mia’s father is more emotional than her mother. Mia notes that “he cries his way through the Olympics and Hallmark commercials” (32). Both of them have plenty of wisdom to impart to their children, especially on the theme of Grief and Healing. Most importantly, they are both intent on reassuring Mia and her siblings that Mango’s death was not anyone’s fault but more likely caused by his lifelong illness and circumstances outside anyone’s control.

Roger is a boy in Mia’s grade at school. He is a good student who puts a lot of energy into the history project that he and Mia are supposed to be doing together. At the beginning of the book, Roger loses the dog that has been part of his family for his entire life. Roger clearly finds the experience profoundly distressing, as he loves his dog deeply; he is an empathetic character. His dog’s death foreshadows Mango’s death later in the story.

Roger is one of Mia’s love interests in the story, although the two do not actually start a romantic relationship. Roger highlights qualities to which Mass makes Mia aspire in Mia’s coming-of-age journey. Compared to Mia, Roger is a much more organized and dedicated student. He is the clear leader in their history project and is continuously frustrated by Mia’s unwillingness to contribute. Despite his frustrations, he is still willing to extend his sympathy to Mia when he hears about Mango, and he still wants to be friends. Roger is the only student in Mia’s grade who does not ask her what color his name is. His color-blindness marks a counterpoint to Mia’s synesthesia and also suggests that he likes Mia for who she is and does not care about what makes her different.

Adam is a 14-year-old boy with synesthesia. He is Mia’s primary love interest in the novel and provides its main romantic subplot. He and Mia meet through the synesthesia forum and exchange emails. Initially, Mia is delighted to meet someone else who understands her experiences and thinks the way that she does. Adam and Mia soon develop mutual crushes on each other and look forward to meeting at the conference. The romantic subplot hence builds toward this event. Mia finds Adam charming even though she knows very little about him. When they do meet, he kisses her, but this is presented as incongruous with Mia’s stage in her coming-of-age story. After Mango’s death, Adam callously tells Mia, “I’m sorry for you, but I think you still should have come to the meeting. I guess you really like cats” (223). In the falling action of the novel—the aftermath of Mango’s death—Mass solidifies Adam’s antagonism.

Adam is character foil for Roger. His flaws highlight Roger’s good qualities by contrast. While Adam brushes off Mango’s death immediately, Roger takes the time to discuss grief with Mia and explains how his family handled the aftermath of their dog’s death. Through her connection with Adam, Mia learns that having something in common with someone does not mean that they are automatically going to get along.

Billy is a five-year-old boy whom Mia meets at the supermarket early in the novel. Billy’s own story reflects that of Mia’s. Throughout the story, Mia sees herself in Billy and goes out of her way to try and help him. She looks up his family in the phone book and tries to speak to his mother again, to no avail. Billy’s presence is hence a measure of Mia’s own character development since the Prologue. For a long time, Billy’s mother is unwilling to learn more about synesthesia and insists that her son just has a wild imagination. 

Ultimately, Mia is able to help Billy and his mother better understand what is going on. In doing so, Mia potentially sets Billy up for a happier and more supportive future than she herself had when she was growing up. Instead of keeping his synesthesia a secret, he talks about it often. His mother finally accepts that there is nothing wrong with her son.