Previous
Adam Wright
Will is Tova’s late husband and Erik’s father. He passed away two years before the events of Remarkably Bright Creatures after a battle with cancer. Though Tova was devastated by his death, the experience of caring for him throughout his illness helped her gradually come to terms with the inevitable goodbye. The draws numerous indirect comparisons between Will’s passing and Erik’s, highlighting how Erik’s death was more painful for Tova because it was so unexpected. Despite the grief they endured after losing their son, Tova and Will shared a happy, loving marriage that remained strong until the end.
Will Sullivan Quotes in Remarkably Bright Creatures
The Remarkably Bright Creatures quotes below are all either spoken by Will Sullivan or refer to Will Sullivan. 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:
).
Chapter 9 Quotes
Watching Tova go into the night always prickles his nerves. According to his police scanner, there are always lunatics on the roads at night. Why must she do her shopping so late?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23 Quotes
Even after Erik was gone, Will would do the same thing every time there was a game on: sit on his same cushion while Erik’s sat empty. Loafing as usual, as if nothing had changed. It always irritated Tova.
Keeping busy was much healthier.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 38 Quotes
So Will had been right.
There was a girl.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Remarkably Bright Creatures LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Will Sullivan Character Timeline in Remarkably Bright Creatures
The timeline below shows where the character Will Sullivan appears in Remarkably Bright Creatures. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
...too hard for her age. They even offer financial help, in case her late husband, Will, didn’t leave her enough. But Tova insists she’s fine and shifts the conversation to Barb’s...
(full context)
Chapter 18
...works on her daily crossword from a bench in Hamilton Park, a place she and Will used to picnic. The setting is peaceful, the waves of Puget Sound crashing in the...
(full context)
Chapter 28
...leotard and sweatpants after her weekly jazzercise class, only to be instantly pulled away by Will. They made love in the living room, assuming Erik was out with his friends. Now,...
(full context)
...poured himself into fixing it up before he died, and after Erik’s death, she and Will could never bring themselves to sell it. The rooms still carry precious memories, and Erik’s...
(full context)
Chapter 32
...share her decision with the Knit-Wits just yet. Afterward, she visits Fairview Memorial Park, where Will is buried and Erik’s headstone rests beside him. Though she’s never spoken to Will’s grave...
(full context)
...application requires black ink, so Tova gently declines. They share a short, warm exchange about Will’s old habit of unintentionally stealing pens, and Ethan recalls him with fondness.
(full context)
...the aquarium to tell Marcellus she’s moving to Charter Village, just as she had told Will earlier at the cemetery. She admires how clean everything looks inside—whoever Terry hired is doing...
(full context)
Chapter 36
...secret of his own: Ethan has a crush on Tova. Ethan then briefly speaks about Will’s passing two years earlier, and about Erik’s drowning. Cameron is quietly hurt. For all the...
(full context)
Chapter 38
...“a thing”. Tova leaves soon after. She hides it well, but she’s shaken. All along, Will had been right. Erik did have a girlfriend—and she never knew.
(full context)
Chapter 50
...the night before. Tova quickly corrects him: it wasn’t a date. She was married to Will for 47 years—dating isn’t something she does, she says matter-of-factly.
(full context)
Chapter 66
...condo. Ethan has been spending a lot of time there lately, listening to records on Will’s old player, and Tova enjoys having him around. After dinner, the three of them walk...
(full context)
