''Tenderness'' is a 1997 novel written by

Robert Cormier Robert Edmund Cormier (January 17, 1925 – November 2, 2000) was an American author and journalist, known for his deeply pessimistic novels, many of which were written for young adults. Recurring themes include abuse, mental illness, violence, ...

. It is the basis for

John Polson John Polson (born 6 September 1965) is an Australian actor, director and founder of Tropfest. As an actor, Polson's best known role is probably starring opposite Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson in '' The Sum of Us'' (1994). In February 2001, ...

's 2009 film, '' Tenderness''.

Plot

Eric Poole is a convicted teenage

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

. Lorelei "Lori" Cranston is a troubled 15-year-old girl. As a little boy in New England, Eric Poole already exhibited symptoms of a

sociopath Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been u ...

. He was suspected of murdering several young girls, but also murdered his mother and stepfather, and was convicted for those deaths. He convinced investigators that he killed his guardians out of self-defense with a false story of abuse. Lori is described as a beautiful girl with a very mature body at a young age. Consequently, she must constantly deal with the wanted and unwanted sexual attention she receives from men. She has a tendency to fixate on men, and will pursue them until she has put her mouth on theirs. Detective Jake Proctor always suspected that Eric was guilty of killing the other girls and that he had fabricated his abuse story. He is determined to prove that Eric is a serial killer. At 18, Eric is released from the juvenile detention center and immediately starts looking for a new victim. Lori sees him on TV, fixates on him, and runs away from home to find him. During this time, Detective Proctor begins setting a trap to catch Eric before he can kill again.

Supporting characters

Lieutenant Jake Proctor
Retired cop, now a detective. Proctor labeled Eric a

psychopath Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent Anti-social behaviour, antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and Boldness, bold, Disinhibition, disinhibited, and Egotism, egotistical B ...

and a monster incapable of feeling. Proctor doubts Eric's accusations of abuse and strongly suspects Eric of having committed at least two other murders. The two seem to like each other but are ultimately at cross purposes. Proctor takes Eric's case personally, as 20 years before he let another young man, who resembles Eric and also suspected of murder, go free when he had equally strong doubts. Now Proctor is determined to prove Eric’s guilt and put and bring him to justice, this time as an adult. Proctor hopes this will put an end to his nightmares of murder victims denied justice that keep him up at night. Aunt Phoebe
A well-dressed, never married, and attractive woman, Eric's aunt is also the owner of the parrot murdered at Eric’s hands. She offers Eric a place to stay once he is released from the facility. Maria Valdez
The beautiful dark-haired, dark-eyed Hispanic girl who fits the usual look of Eric's victims. She gives Eric her number while in the facility and later meets him at the state fair. She is revealed to be working with police. Jimmy
The young cop who helps Proctor catch Eric in the act, whether real or framed. Sonny Boy
Sweet Lefty's torturer and resident bully at the facility. Sweet Lefty
An easygoing and usually well-liked inmate who is bullied by other inmates but "rescued" by Eric. Ross Packer
A young reporter at the ''Wickburg Telegram'' who writes the Ms. Anonymous piece on Lori that Eric later reads. Gary
One of the nicer men that Lori's mom has dated. Gary also feels attracted to Lori. Dexter
An ex of Lori's mother who beat her, giving her a

black eye A periorbital hematoma, commonly called a black eye or a shiner (associated with boxing or stick sports such as hockey), is bruising around the eye commonly due to an injury to the face rather than to the eye. The name refers to the dark-colo ...

and then fled soon afterward. Mr. Clayton
The driver of the van who picks up Lori when she hitchhikes and succumbs to her seductions. Lori steals his wallet and decides to mail it back to him, but she never does because it is later stolen from her. Phyllis Kendall
A beautiful old woman with white hair who is also the caretaker and mentor at the teen pregnancy center, Harmony House. Mrs. Hornsby
An out of place cook at the teen pregnancy center, Harmony House. Debbie
An exceptionally big pregnant teen at Harmony House. Chantelle
Another very pregnant teen girl. Tiffany
A frail tiny girl who is also Lori's rival, she tries to

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

her for theft at Harmony House. Rory
Leader of a gang. Crystal
A plump girl who is a member of the gang, later becomes pregnant, and attends Harmony House teen pregnancy center Bantam
A skinny little kid who wants to act tough and is also part of the gang

Reception

In 1998, the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

named ''Tenderness'' one of the top ten

Best Books for Young Adults The American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults, previously known as Best Books for Young Adults (1966–2010), is a recommendation list of books presented yearly by the YALSA division (Young Adult Library Services Association Th ...

to be published that year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tenderness (Novel) 1997 American novels Novels by Robert Cormier American young adult novels American novels adapted into films