June Hayward

June Hayward is the main character and first person narrator of the novel. June grows up in Philadelphia with her mother, father, and sister Rory. From a young age, June has creative aspirations. In spite of her mother’s doubts, June does not give up on her dreams of becoming a writer. Neither does she abandon these goals when her family questions her decision to study English and literature at Yale University.

At Yale, June makes friends with a girl named Athena Liu. When they are freshmen, June feels that Athena is one of the only people who really sees and understands her. However, when Athena uses June’s sexual assault in a short story she publishes, June feels betrayed.

In spite of Athena’s alleged slight against June, the two remain friends throughout the following years. At the start of the novel, they are both living...