Leah Catherine Burke

Leah Catherine Burke is the main protagonist of the story, and the novel is told entirely in her first person perspective. Leah is a female high school senior at Creekwood High School, in Shady Creek, Georgia. Leah describes herself as, “I’m basically your resident fat Slytherin Rory Gilmore” (3). Leah’s mother is a single Mom who delivered her while a Junior in High School, and her father left while Leah was in middle school - leaving them alone to fend for themselves. Leah is overweight and simultaneously defensive of her body and ashamed of it, thinking, “I think self-consciousness is in my bones” (304). She describes herself as a Slytherin - as in one of the houses from Harry Potter - meaning that she considers herself cunning, ambitious, and slightly evil. She loves her universe dress claiming after a compliment on it from Abby, “It’s...