Brenda Character Analysis in All the Bright Places

Brenda is one of Finch’s best friends. She’s overweight and wears her hair in bright colors. She’s overprotective of Finch because she sees him as a “gentleman,” and she’s concerned throughout the novel that no boy is going to love her for who she actually is. At various points, Brenda kisses Roamer, whom she acknowledges is a jerk but whom she’s loved for years anyway. Brenda is Finch’s go-to for fashion advice, and she skips school to go to Goodwill with him when he invents his “badass Finch” persona. After Finch runs away, Brenda also befriends Violet and agrees to work on Germ with her. But disturbingly for Violet, Brenda, like almost everyone else, isn’t concerned that Finch has disappeared. By the end of the novel, after Finch commits suicide, Brenda and Violet are close friends.

Brenda Quotes in All the Bright Places

The All the Bright Places quotes below are all either spoken by Brenda or refer to Brenda. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Mental Health, Stigma, and Suicide Theme Icon

“He’ll be back. He always comes back.” That’s just his thing. It’s what he does.

I want to say to her and Charlie and Brenda, to Kate, to his mom: Doesn’t anyone care why he comes and goes? Have you ever stopped to think that something might be wrong with this?

Related Characters: Decca Finch (speaker), Violet Markey (speaker), Finch’s Mom, Finch’s Dad, Brenda, Charlie Donahue, Kate Finch

Page Number and Citation: 313

Explanation and Analysis:

Violet has just searched Finch’s room one more time after he disappears. As she leaves, Decca tells her that Finch always comes back when he does this. The fact that Decca can say this with such certainty makes it clear that Finch has done this before—she knows what to expect, and from past experiences, she doesn’t think Finch is in any real danger of not coming back. As Violet suggests, this begs the question of why Finch disappears regularly, and what might be wrong to cause him to do this. But as Violet attempts to figure out what’s wrong with Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam

Brenda Character Timeline in All the Bright Places

The timeline below shows where the character Brenda appears in All the Bright Places. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Community, Support, and Trust Theme Icon

Later, out in the parking lot, Finch and his friend Brenda listen to Charlie talk about sex. Charlie spent his winter break working at the movie... (full context)

...him to not mess up with Violet. So, during third period, Finch meets Charlie and Brenda at Goodwill. As Finch and Brenda browse the racks, Brenda tells Finch about making out... (full context)

Brenda insists that Finch can’t dress to please a girl; he needs to be himself. Finch... (full context)

Language, Meaning, and Control Theme Icon

...London, Finch adopts a British accent for the rest of the day. When he joins Brenda and Charlie for lunch, he tells them all about his life in London and his... (full context)

...is in the parking lot after school with Eleanor’s old bike, which Eleanor named Leroy. Brenda saunters past and points out Finch. She also warns Violet that she’ll beat her up... (full context)

...out Charlie and asks about Finch. Charlie says that this is just what Finch does. Brenda compliments Violet’s glasses, and Violet says that they were Eleanor’s. Finch is at school on... (full context)

...so she writes a list of people she thinks might want to contribute, like Kate, Brenda, and Jordan Gripenwaldt. She discovers that germmagazine.com is available and registers the site. Then she... (full context)

...gets to his locker, he discovers the rock he gave Violet sitting on his books. Brenda comes up behind Finch and asks what the rock is for and what happened to... (full context)

Grief, Trauma, Purpose, and Survivorship Theme Icon

...walks past Amanda and Roamer’s table in the cafeteria. Violet turns and asks to join Brenda, the three Brianas, and a girl named Lara. As the other girls talk about boys... (full context)

...little shocked and disappointed that nobody seems to know she’s not a virgin anymore. Only Brenda figures it out when Violet is slow answering what she did over the weekend. Brenda... (full context)

...would ask readers to send in videos or pictures of their favorite sites. She emails Brenda, Finch, Jordan, the three Brianas, and Lara, inviting all of them to contribute. Though Violet... (full context)

Violet can’t concentrate in U.S. Geography. Charlie and Brenda haven’t heard from Finch in a few days either, but they insist this is normal.... (full context)

...play tennis in the street, and that night, they go to the Quarry. Violet texts Brenda, Lara, and the three Brianas. A bit later, Jordan comes too. The following Friday, Violet... (full context)

...back, “‘Stay,’ I say, ‘stay.’” She calls Finch, and when he doesn’t answer, she calls Brenda. Brenda also received an email that said that a guy will love Brenda for who... (full context)

...speak to Kate alone. On the patio, Violet tells Kate about the emails to her, Brenda, and Charlie. Kate reads the messages and is confused. Violet shows her a copy of... (full context)

...to be cremated. Everyone is crying, including Amanda, Ryan, and Roamer. Violet stands next to Brenda and Charlie, and her parents are nearby. Brenda stares at Roamer with an angry expression—Roamer... (full context)

As the crowd disperses, Charlie mutters about the “phonies,” and Brenda says that Finch is probably watching and flipping everyone off. Violet asks Brenda if she... (full context)

...wants to be around Violet—they seem to be afraid that she’s contagious. Violet sits with Brenda, Lara, and the Brianas at lunch, and a few days after Finch’s funeral, Amanda sits... (full context)

Later that night, Violet meets Brenda, Charlie, Ryan, and Amanda at the Purina Tower. At the top, they light candles and... (full context)

Brenda Character Analysis

Brenda Quotes in All the Bright Places

48. Violet: March 21 and beyond Quotes

Brenda Character Timeline in All the Bright Places