QotD: Fictional Friend

What fictional character do you relate to most and why?

When I read Shopgirl, I felt like I could relate to a lot of what Mirabelle, the main character, felt. She and I are about the same age. The difference between her and me is that she was actually in a relationship while I, on the other hand, have never had one. However, her significant other was older, and I've previously thought to myself that I won't be completely surprised if I am ever in a relationship with an older man. I read this book a couple years ago, and I like to think that I am at least slightly more confident now than I was then, but every so often I do get to thinking about her and how she and I are a lot alike.

I have a journal where I keep memorable passages from books I read. Here are some of the ones from Shopgirl that I related to most:

"She knows she needs new friends but introductions are hard to come by when your natural state is shyness."

"In spite of her depression, Mirabelle likes to think of herself as humorous. She can, when the occasion calls, become a wisecracker and buoyant party girl. This mood, Mirabelle thinks, sometimes makes her the center of attention at parties and gatherings. The truth is that these episodes of gaiety merely raise her to normal, but for Mirabelle the feeling is so exceptional that she believes herself to be standing out."

"A girl who is willing to give every ounce of herself to someone, who could never betray her lover, who never suspects maliciousness of anyone, and whose sexuality sleeps in her, waiting to be stirred [...] What Mirabelle needs is some omniscient voice to illuminate and spotlight her, and to inform everyone that this one has value, this one over here, the one sitting in the bar by herself, and then to find her counterpart and bring him to her."

"By appealing to his absolute worst side, Lisa eventually dominates him, and later the Artist/Hero is seen taking her phone number. Mirabelle is not affected by a man's failure to approach her, as her own self-deprecating attitude never allows the idea that he would in the first place."

"Catherine collapsed, then fought, then resurrected the marriage with a quiet power and sophistication that had not shown at any other time in her life or has ever shown again. The one who was broken, who did not recover, who did not understand, and who saw the image of her father crack and shatter, was Mirabelle."

"Mirabelle's mind blackens. The blackness is not a thought, but if it could be pressed into a thought, if a chemical from a dropper could be dripped onto it causing its color and essence to become visible, it would take the shape of this sentence: Why does no one want me?"