Sookie Stackhouse is the protagonist and narrator of the Southern Vampire Mysteries (also known as the Sookie Stackhouse series) by Charlaine Harris. She works as a waitress at Merlotte’s Bar and Grill in Bon Temps, Louisiana, and has the ability to read minds.
Sookie grew up thinking of her telepathy as a disability. She calls it her “quirk” and spent years learning to block out the constant stream of other people’s thoughts. When vampires publicly reveal their existence and she meets Bill Compton, a Civil War veteran turned vampire, she discovers that she cannot read vampire minds at all. The mental silence is a relief, and it draws her into the supernatural world.
Background
Sookie was raised by her grandmother Adele after her parents died in a flash flood when she was young. She has a brother, Jason, and a complicated family history that becomes increasingly important as the series progresses. Later in the series, she learns that her telepathy comes from fairy ancestry through her grandmother’s side.
Abilities
Beyond telepathy, Sookie’s fairy heritage gives her other abilities that develop over the course of the series. She is also brave, loyal, and more resilient than she initially appears. Though she presents as a simple small-town waitress, she repeatedly survives encounters with vampires, werewolves, and other dangerous beings.
Relationships
Sookie’s romantic life is complicated by her ability to read minds. Her relationships with vampires Bill Compton and Eric Northman form the core of much of the series’ drama. She also has connections to the shapeshifter Sam Merlotte, her boss at the bar, and the werewolf Alcide Herveaux.
Reading Order
See the complete Sookie Stackhouse reading order for all books in the series.