Andrés

Andrés is the first person narrator and main character of the novel. Andrés grew up in an unnamed suburban town with his mother Rosario, father Álvaro, and older brother Enrique, or Henry. During his coming of age, Andrés quickly learned that being Latinx made him an outsider. Therefore, Andrés did his best to behave in a way that his predominantly white peers would accept.

Although Andrés and Henry were brothers, they had a fraught relationship throughout their childhood. Where Henry was lazy and careless, Andrés was diligent and studious. Andrés tried to encourage his brother to apply himself more thoughtfully over the years, but his efforts amounted to nothing.

When Andrés was in high school, he grew close with his classmate Jeremy. Soon the boys became intimate, thus catalyzing their sexual awakening. When Jeremy’s mother discovered that they...