The Boy

The boy is never named, but he is central to the story. He is 11 years old, lives in Portland, Maine, and is the son of Quinn and Belle. He is very smart, but he is awkward and is not popular at school. He possibly has some form of autism, and he has a heart condition called long QT syndrome. This heart condition kills him at the age of 11.

The boy is a boy scout and is obsessed with world records. In order to earn a merit badge, he visits the house of Ona Vitkus every week to do chores for her. When the boy finds out that Ona is 104 years old, he encourages her to pursue world records related to age. Ona finds the boy to be an encouraging and positive influence, and she is deeply sad when he passes away. The boy lies at the center...