Sookie Stackhouse

Sookie Stackhouse is the protagonist in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, a series of books written by author Charlaine Harris that was first published in 2001. The series is a first-person account of Sookie's life as a barmaid and telepath in the town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. The first book in the series, Dead Until Dark, won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001.

Sookie Stackhouse
Anna Paquin starring as Sookie in True Blood, the TV series based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries.
First appearance	Novel Dead Until Dark Television "Strange Love"
Created by	Charlaine Harris
Portrayed by	Anna Paquin
In-universe information
Nickname	Sook, Stackhouse
Occupation	Waitress/barmaid
Family	Jason Stackhouse (older brother) Adele Hale Stackhouse (grandmother) Niall Brigant (great-grandfather) Claudine and Claude (half-first cousins once removed) Hadley (first cousin) Hunter Savoy (first cousin once removed) Eric Northman (husband)

Family life

According to the novels, Sookie's telepathic powers manifested as a child and her parents initially considered her to be mentally ill, going so far as taking her to a psychologist and "having her brain scanned every other month". However, Sookie (who is the narrator of the books and stories) mentions one incident when her father asked her to "listen" in on a business meeting to discern the true intentions of a potential client. She told her father the man intended to take his money and her father took her advice, indicating his unspoken belief in her telepathic ability. Her parents died in a flood when she was seven, leaving Sookie and her older brother, Jason, to be raised by their grandmother. As the series begins, Sookie describes herself as someone with very little living family. One of her few relatives is a great-uncle, but she hasn't seen him since she was a child. The reason for this was that Sookie's great-uncle had molested both Sookie and her cousin, Hadley, when the girls were very young, though Sookie didn't discover Hadley's molestation until after her death. Not long after her parents' deaths, (Sookie had told her mother who didn't believe the 'funny uncle' story), Sookie's grandmother bans him from coming anywhere near her home or any of the children again, thus saving Sookie from further molestation.

Sookie lives with her grandmother well into her twenties and they maintain a close relationship until the grandmother is murdered by a serial killer, sinking Sookie into a deep depression. Sookie's great-uncle, Bartlett Hale, is killed soon after. Sookie later learns that her cousin Hadley has been murdered. With the death of Sookie's cousin Hadley, Sookie and Jason are the only remaining Stackhouses.

Eventually, it is revealed that fairy blood runs in her family through her father's lineage. This might be part of what makes her attractive to supernatural creatures ("supes") and vampires in particular.

In the eighth novel, From Dead to Worse, Sookie meets her great-grandfather, Niall Brigant, who is a powerful fairy prince, and the grandfather of her friends, the fairy twins Claudine and Claude. It is also revealed that Hadley left a young son, Hunter, who is now four. He also possesses telepathic abilities. The origins of the telepathic ability are not clear, although an unrelated character states that it is not a fairy trait.

Telepathy

Sookie's telepathic abilities manifested when she was quite young. In her hometown of Bon Temps, many people believe Sookie to be mentally unstable, while others deny the fact that she is able to read people's minds. Sookie says that people's thoughts are not formed in complete sentences, but rather in minimal words and images. She describes some people as "broadcasters", meaning that their minds are fairly easy to read.

She has also used her ability in many other ways. She used her power to confuse a killer (Drew Marshall/Rene Lenier) when he was chasing her, creating a vibrant noise that gave him disorientation and pain. She probably did that by overloading his mind with so many thoughts that he couldn't take it. Sookie also used her ability to communicate with a telepath (Barry), asking him to save her from the Fellowship of the Sun.

According to Sookie, both physical and eye contact make an individuals mind easier to read. The minds of humans are also easier to read, though this also varies depending on the individual. Supernatural beings are much more difficult, as Sookie usually only gets impressions and emotions unless the individual is intentionally broadcasting. Vampires are believed to be impossible for Sookie to read—which is partially why she begins dating vampire Bill Compton—though she eventually does have occasional glimpses. She keeps these glimpses a secret from everyone, however, as she is convinced the vampires would kill her if they knew.

The TV adaptation of the novels suggests telepaths to be of such extreme rarity, that more than one immortal being has reacted with surprise and bewilderment upon encountering either Sookie or Barry, and discovering them to be "different" from other humans. Especially perplexing to the "supes" is an apparent immunity that Sookie has against supernatural powers of mental manipulation, such as the vampires' glamouring ability.

Living situation

Sookie lives in the house left to her by her grandmother. While accidents and a fire leave the house in frequent need of repair, Sookie takes great pride in her home. Not long before Hurricane Katrina Sookie takes in a boarder, a witch named Amelia Broadway, who used to be her cousin Hadley's landlady. Amelia's witch mentor, Octavia Fant, later joins the household as well.

She supports herself by working as a barmaid at a local bar, Merlotte's, which is owned by local shape-shifter Sam Merlotte, as well as occasionally utilizing her telepathic talents for the local group of vampires headed by Eric Northman. Recently, she's worked with vampires even higher up in the hierarchy, including the kings and queens of several states. Despite her hard work, she's not particularly wealthy and often feels strained by the need to support herself, even while her pride leaves her incapable of accepting gifts from her wealthier friends.

In her free time, Sookie reads, suntans, watches television, and occasionally attends local football games. While Sookie's telepathy leaves her feeling incapable of getting a tertiary education, she is shown to be a bright and resourceful young woman. She also considers herself to be a great dancer and loves to expand her vocabulary with her word-of-the-day-calendar and she seems to be more articulate than most of the Bon Temps residents.

Romantic relationships

Harris describes Sookie as a tanned, blue-eyed, and (formerly a size 8, now a size 10) buxom blonde. But although she is young, fit, and good-looking, Sookie did not have many suitors until she met Bill Compton. Being able to read her date's minds was usually a big turn-off for Sookie. And her reputation as a weirdo didn't make her very attractive to ordinary men either, even though she has often been the subject of bar patrons' lewd thoughts.

Sookie finds herself attracted to dominant men with supernatural abilities. Vampires and other "supes" are harder to read than humans, muffling the effects of her telepathy and giving Sookie a refreshing break from the constant noise of other people's thoughts. Vampires seem especially immune to her ability. Their brains appear to be blank spaces when compared to the busy tangle of ideas that come from a human's mind.

Because of this relaxing blankness, Sookie is able to experience her first physical and emotional romantic relationship with Bill, who was turned into a vampire following the American Civil War. He introduces her to the complexities of vampire society in the United States. This leads to many difficulties for Sookie, but their relationship lasts several months before his infidelity with a former lover (and his maker), vampire Lorena, leads Sookie to break things off. Eric Northman, his boss, later forces Bill to reveal to a shocked Sookie that he was ordered by the Queen of Louisiana to court her in order for the Queen to gain her loyalty. Though Bill swears that he really did fall in love with her over time and still does feel for her, a devastated and depressed Sookie tells Bill he is banished from her life.

As the series progresses, Sookie finds herself attracted to other "supes", such as her boss and long-time friend Sam Merlotte, a true shape-shifter who can turn into almost any animal he wishes. Sookie and Sam kiss more than once, but Sookie is worried about the effect it would have on their business relationship — which is important to her because he's the only boss she hasn't had to quit on after reading his mind — so she hasn't pursued him further. She also goes out on Eric assigned business outings with the werewolf Alcide Herveaux and has some interest but doesn't act on it. In that case, his violent ex-girlfriend Debbie Pelt proves to be an obstacle to a relationship, and their friendship has since deteriorated.

Some time after her break-up with Bill, Sookie comes to care for his boss, the vampire sheriff of Area 5, Eric Northman. Under a witch's curse, Eric's memory is altered and leaves him vulnerable and more attractive to Sookie than his ordinarily cunning self. At one point the amnesiac Eric offers to leave his position of power to be with her. When he regains his memory, however, he also regains his deep entanglement with vampire politics, and their relationship appears to end. Eric has only recently recalled all of the events that occurred while he was under the curse, and both he and Sookie are uneasy about what his restored memory might mean to how they relate to each other. Due to multiple blood exchanges, Sookie discovers that she and Eric have a blood bond that allows them to feel each other's emotions. This bond makes Sookie uncomfortable with the access that Eric has to her mind, and seeks to find a way to weaken the bond. She has strong feelings for Eric, but seems to believe that he would be incapable of a serious and committed relationship with her.With Sookie avoiding Eric, He Finds he no longer wishes to be with Sookie and devotes himself to winning the heart of a local Portuguese girl ( Emily .P.).

Sookie also briefly dates the famous weretiger Quinn. However, that relationship becomes strained after Quinn and his sister disappear at the beginning of From Dead to Worse. Sookie ends the relationship when she realizes Quinn will always put his half-sister Frannie, and his traumatized and deranged mother ahead of her. She realizes this after his involvement in a takeover of the Louisiana and Arkansas vampire territories results in the deaths of a number of Louisiana vampires she knows, including the Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne LeClerq.

In the last published novel, Dead and Gone, Sookie's great-grandfather, Niall, tells her that “The vampire is not a bad man, and he loves you”, but leaves before specifying which vampire he meant, leaving Sookie filled with doubt. Eric Northman tricked her into being engaged for her own protection.

Platonic relationships

Sookie's mind-reading ability seemed more like a curse to her when she was growing up, and made it difficult to make and retain friends. Despite this, she has been friends with the elegant and daring Tara Thornton and the handsome but dim JB du Rone since high school.

As an adult Sookie makes other friendships once she is better able to shield herself from the thoughts of others. She considers Sam Merlotte a friend and has maintained her friendship with Tara Thornton. She also strikes up an unlikely friendship of sorts with Eric's second-in-command, Pam. She also is pretty close to Amelia Broadway, a witch, who becomes her lodger and housemate in the later novels. And though she has never called them friends, she worries about Bubba the vampire and fellow mind-reader Barry the bellboy as well.

Sookie considers fellow barmaid Arlene Fowler to be a friend for their first few years working together. However, Arlene joins an anti-vampire organization and their relationship becomes tense. Arlene eventually betrays Sookie to this organization.

Television portrayal

Main article: True Blood

In the HBO series True Blood, based on the The Southern Vampire Mysteries, Sookie is portrayed by Academy Award-winning actress Anna Paquin. The third season of True Blood is scheduled to start airing in the summer of 2010. See also List of True Blood episodes.

Season 1

In Season 1, Sookie meets Bill Compton, the first vampire to visit Bon Temps since vampires 'came out of the coffin'. She is instantly drawn to Bill, as he is to her. After Bill is nearly killed by the Rattrays and saved by Sookie, the two bond over their curiosity about each other. Bill quickly realizes that Sookie is more than human and Sookie cannot hear Bill's (or any other vampire's) thoughts. The following night the Rattrays come for revenge on Sookie (Strange Love).

They would have beaten her to death if Bill had not intervened, saving her. Sookie was badly injured and needed Bill's blood to heal her. After she is healed she begins to have erotic dreams about Bill, a side effect of consuming his blood. Sookie continues to talk to Bill and begins to help him find contractors for his house. On the night she brings the contractors phone numbers to Bill's house, she is confronted by three vampires, Malcolm, Liam and Diane. The vampires terrorize her and try to bite her until Bill states that 'Sookie is mine'. After this attack Sookie is frightened and worries about her safety, finally deciding not to speak to Bill any more. When she tells her gran about her decision her gran points out that Sookie is not angry at Bill but afraid because for the first time in Sookie's life she cannot tell what someone thinks of her. Sookie and Bill then become friends.

Sam Merlotte, who had always had a romantic interest in Sookie, takes advantage of the tension in her relationship with Bill by asking Sookie out on a date. He takes her to the Descendants of the Glorious Dead [of the Civil War] meeting at the Bon Temps church, then out for pie, where he kisses her. After Sam yells at her for dating a vampire, Sookie takes a cab home, arriving home later than planned. She arrives home and sees blood on the kitchen floor. Sookie then turns on the light and sees her gran dead in the kitchen, the victim of a violent knife attack (Sparks Fly Out). Bill arrives in time to comfort her and Sam follows shortly after him, a situation that causes tension for all three of them.

Grieving for her grandmother Sookie is unable to keep the thoughts of others out of her head, forcing her to hear how the whole town thinks that its her fault her gran died, and how they think Bill killed her. After the funeral, and accepting her Gran's death Sookie sought comfort from Bill and the two had sex for the first time (Cold Ground).

After their night together Sookie feels more able to cope with the loss of her grandmother knowing that Bill cares for her. However the rest of the town is not happy with Sookie, calling her a whore and fangbanger. She is also still angry and upset with her brother. While she is working at Merlotte's that night Liam, Malcolm and Diane visit Sookie knowing Bill would sense her fear and come running. They then leave with Bill and Sookie is left at Merlotte's, distraught and worried. After spending all night worrying about Bill, Sookie's worst fear is realized when four bodies, all unidentifiable, are pulled out of the other vampires' new nest ("Burning House of Love"). But fortunately, Bill survived by hiding underground in the dirt and in relief, Sookie and Bill have sex furiously in the dirt ("Forth Man in the Fire").

Near the end of season one, Sookie discovers that Arlene's fiancee Rene Lenier is really Drew Marshall who has been behind all the murders happening in Bon Temps. Drew has a deep resentment for vampires, so much that he kills women who have had sex with them (called "fangbangers"). He's also the one who killed Sookie's grandmother (he was really after Sookie) and the three women her brother Jason was involved with. Drew once again tries to kill Sookie, but with Sam's help she manages to defeat and kill him ("You'll Be the Death of Me").

Season 2

Season two is centered around the mayhem caused in Bon Temps by the mysterious Maenad who poses as a human woman named Mary Ann. Mary Anne develops a bond with Sookie's friend Tara and eventually develops complete control over the Bon Temps residents. The Maenad believes that Sam Merlotte is the vessel who will allow her to connect to her God and so she seeks to sacrifice him. While all this chaos is going on in Bon Temps, Sookie is called to Dallas, TX by Eric Northman to assist him in finding his missing maker named Godric. Her telepathic ability makes her very valuable to the vampires and she goes undercover into a church called Fellowship of the Sun. The Fellowship of the Sun is an anti-vampire church that seeks to destroy vampires and vampire sympathizers. Sookie finds Godric in the basement of the church and calls in help from Eric, Bill and other local vampires. After some negotiating the church people allow the vampires and Sookie to leave. Godric, who is over 2,000 years old, has lost any desire to continue living and even though he is freed he "meets the sun" or commits suicide as Sookie watches. During her time in Dallas, Sookie accidentally made a blood bond with Eric when he tricked her into drinking his blood. This infuriates both Bill and Sookie because now Eric can sense Sookie's emotions. Another side effect of the blood bond is that Sookie has frequent fantasies about Eric while she sleeps and this confuses her very much.Eric is starting to really have feelings for Sookie but she doesn't know that. Once Sookie returns to Bon Temps she sees the effect the Maenad has made on her small town. People are not themselves and her own house had been made into a ritual site for the sacrificing of Sam Merlotte. Though Sam has originally planned to flee Bon Temps in order to avoid the Maenad, he realizes it is too late and the only way to save his beloved town is to turn himself in. The Maenad is overjoyed when Sam finally comes to her for she thinks she will finally meet the God she has sought after her entire ancient life. What she doesn't know is that Sam has teamed up with Bill and they have a plan to destroy her.

The season ends on a cliffhanger. Bill takes Sookie out for a private dinner and proposes to her. Shocked and not knowing how to respond, she leaves the room by herself to think. While deciding that she does indeed want to marry him, Bill is ambushed from behind by someone using a silver chain. Sookie comes out to find Bill gone and the dining room in shambles...

Bibliography

The character Sookie Stackhouse appears in the following:

1. Dead Until Dark (2001, ISBN 0-441-00853-4)
2. Living Dead in Dallas (March 2002, ISBN 0-441-00923-9)
3. Club Dead (May 2003, ISBN 0-441-01051-2)
4. Dead to the World (May 2004, hardcover ISBN 0-441-01167-5, 2005, paperback ISBN 0-441-01218-3)
   • "Fairy Dust" from Powers of Detection (October 2004, ISBN 0-441-01197-7)
   • "Dracula Night" from Many Bloody Returns (September 2007, hardcover ISBN 0-441-01522-0)
5. Dead as a Doornail (May 2005, hardcover ISBN 0-441-01279-5, April 2006, audio book ISBN 1-4193-3730-0, paperback ISBN 0-441-01333-3)
   • "One Word Answer" from Bite (2005, ISBN 0-515-13970-X)
6. Definitely Dead (May 2006, hardcover ISBN 0-441-01400-3, audio book ISBN 1-4193-9326-X)
7. All Together Dead (May 2007, hardcover ISBN 0-441-01494-1)
   • "Lucky" from Unusual Suspects (December 2008, paperback, ISBN 0-441-01637-5)
8. From Dead to Worse (May 2008, hardcover ISBN 0-441-01589-4)
   • "Gift Wrap" from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (October 2008, hardcover ISBN 0-441-01633-2)
9. Dead and Gone (May 2009, hardcover, ISBN 0-441-01715-0 / ISBN 978-0-441-01715-7)
10. A Touch of Dead (October 2009, hardcover, ISBN 0441017835 / ISBN 978-0441017836)
11. Dead in the Family (May 4 2010, hardcover, ISBN 0441018645 / ISBN 9780441018642)