Isabel "Belly" Conklin

Belly Conklin is the primary narrator of the novel. As the narrator, she works to create sympathy for herself; however, at 16, she is a very immature and cruel young girl who cares more about her own feelings than anything else. She treats her friends, her family, and the love of her life terribly, and she demands that they all treat her perfectly or she lashes out with a terrible temper tantrum.

Despite this, Belly is endearing in her earnestness and her raw commitment to telling her story. Belly grows up spending every summer at the beach house in Cousins with her family and her mother’s best friend’s family. The summer house is Belly’s favorite place in the world, and she loves Susannah like a second mother. She always feels like an outcast because she is the youngest and the only girl. Her brother...