Florence Irene Forrest / Flo

Florence Irene Forrest is the narrator and protagonist of the novel. When the novel opens, Florence is ten-years-old during the turbulent 1963 summer in Millwood, Mississippi, when segregation, racism, and hate crimes are commonplace. At the opening of the novel, Florence is a relatively naïve child, unaware of the political situation her family is apart of. She recognizes racism and segregation, but doesn't yet understand the implications of their presence within her family. Florence loves making late-night runs to the bootlegger with her alcoholic mother because it's special time spent between them. She's proud of the fact that Daddy entrusts her with his special box, and she looks past the fact that it's filled with KKK paraphernalia. As the novel progresses, Florence's isolation and neglect is highlighted as her mother slips further into her alcoholism and her father obsesses over his latest racist plans. Florence...