Penelope “Penny” Lee

Penelope “Penny” Lee is one of the characters of focus in this novel. She is a first-year college student who is highly intelligent, but at the same time high-strung, deeply opinionated, and overly organized. She believes that she will be able to start her real life in college when she finally has some independence from her mother.

Penny wants to be a writer. She was inspired by the graphic novel Maus which she credited not only with having the power to teach her about World War II, but to make her care about what happened during that time period. Penny wanted to make other people feel what she felt when she read that book.

Penny befriends Sam after she sees him pass out on the street during an anxiety attack. She is attracted to him because he is intelligent and talks with passion about becoming a...