Millie Cousins

Millie Cousins is one of the novel’s main characters. In the narrative present, Millie is 24 years old. She has just returned to the University of Arkansas to complete her second senior year. She took a gap year the year prior and moved back home to Joplin, Missouri to help her mother Glory. Because Glory discovered she had glaucoma, Millie felt that it was her responsibility to be nearby. Throughout the year, Millie worked tirelessly, saved money, and developed her relationship with her mother. Meanwhile, Millie started to “feel creative and not so alone” (30). However, at the end of the year, her mother insisted that she return to school to finish her degree. In spite of her reservations, Millie traveled back to Fayetteville and accepted her former Residence Life manager Aimee Pearson’s RA assignment in Belgrade Dormitory.

At the start of the year, Millie devotes herself...