Kingston "King" James

King is the protagonist of this novel. He recently lost his brother, Khalid, and is frustrated with his parents' silence and sadness, with his own loneliness, with the injustice and randomness of death, and with the fact that his friends do not seem to understand him. He lashes out frequently, particularly at his friends, and it is not until his former friend Sandy goes missing that King is forced to confront how poorly he has treated those around him. Khalid once told King to end his friendship with Sandy because the latter is gay, and King listened to him. Now, King feels guilty because Sandy is in trouble and he feels partly responsible.

As King helps Sandy to hide from his abusive father, he realizes that it is not only guilt motivating his actions but also a genuine sense of kinship with Sandy. The pair have...