Who is Shelby Devlin from Heat and Light: A Novel?

Shelby Devlin is “quiet, mousy, and conspicuously Christian” (199). She married Rich when she was just out of high school, and now, in her mid-twenties, she is a full-time mother to her two children. Though the family struggles with money throughout the novel, Shelby does not consider working, as she feels that being around and available for her children is more important. She only sparingly leaves Braden and Olivia with Rich, most consistently for her weekly counseling session with Pastor Jess.

Pastor Jess suspects that Shelby attends her counseling sessions not so that she can have religious guidance, but so that she can talk to someone about her day. Throughout the novel, Shelby does not have friends or even acquaintances until she meets Rena at the community meeting about fracking. Shelby spends the majority of her time at home with Olivia and Braden.

Shelby’s parenting is the opposite of how she grew up: her mother was cold and absent, and ultimately failed to notice the signs of lupus, a disease that led to Shelby’s sister Crystal’s young death. Although Shelby spent most of her time as a teenager sitting with Crystal during treatments or at home while their mother worked, she does not talk about her. Rich thought Shelby was an only child until after they had their son.