Trevor Character Analysis in My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Trevor is the narrator’s on-again, off-again “boyfriend,” though they haven’t been together in a while and neither seems to like the other all that much. He works for a bank at the World Trade Center and is very wealthy. Unlike Reva, Trevor isn’t in the Twin Towers during the September 11 terrorist attack—by chance, he was away on his honeymoon when the planes hit. The narrator prefers to date older men, and Trevor is no exception. She also gravitates toward men who are “detached and unfriendly,” which aptly describes Trevor, who regards the narrator with cold indifference when he isn’t being overtly sadistic and cruel.

Trevor Character Timeline in My Year of Rest and Relaxation

The timeline below shows where the character Trevor appears in My Year of Rest and Relaxation. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...love, but she also thinks that “settling down” sounds horrible. Her one romance was with Trevor, an older, wealthy man she met on Halloween during her freshman year of college. He... (full context)

The narrator isn’t speaking with Trevor when she first enters “hibernation.” She thinks she may have called him when she first... (full context)

...“adorers” but no real friends. She didn’t go out with boys until college—until she met Trevor. Her application essay for college was about Anton Kirschler, an artist she made up herself,... (full context)

...the narrator some, but the narrator declines. Reva accuses the narrator of being lovesick over Trevor, which the narrator neither confirms nor denies. She accuses the narrator of being “passive”—of waiting... (full context)

...for a while, but in the meantime, the narrator takes to writing humiliating letters to Trevor in her unconscious state. (full context)

...shelf of used DVDS for sale and spots 9 1/2 Weeks, which is one of Trevor’s favorite movies. He claimed it made him want to experiment sexually. She recalls a humiliating... (full context)

...the narrator returns to her apartment with her newly filled medication prescriptions. She thinks about Trevor incessantly for the next few days and uses all the self-control she has to avoid... (full context)

The narrator recalls her last interaction with Trevor, which happened on New Year’s Eve, 2000. She’d invited him to a party. He reluctantly... (full context)

...an Ambien and some Benadryl, then she checks her phone and sees that she’s called Trevor’s phone and an unfamiliar number, which she guesses must be Ping Xi’s. (full context)

...sleep. But she can’t fall asleep—in fact, she doesn’t feel at all sleepy. She calls Trevor, who snaps that it’s 5:00 a.m. The narrator begs him to come over. She hears... (full context)

...narrator grumbles that Ken is an idiot. She suggests that maybe Reva will run into Trevor, who also works at the World Trade Center, where Ken has transferred her. Reva asks... (full context)

The narrator calls Trevor again. He snaps that Claudia, his partner, doesn’t believe in platonic friendships between men and... (full context)

Trevor arrives at some point, though the narrator doesn’t remember when. She feels his penis in... (full context)

...returns, a bouquet of roses has arrived for her. At first, she thinks they’re from Trevor, but then she sees the note attached to them: “To my muse. Call me and... (full context)

...Xi. But her fear dissipates the moment she turns off the lights. She thinks about Trevor proposing to his new girlfriend and thinks about how stupid it is to want anything... (full context)