Death Row

Noel Kemper is Talia’s husband. Noel remains somewhat static throughout the text, although the portrayal of Noel changes as it becomes clear that Talia is an unreliable narrator. As Talia reveals more about her nature, her jealousy and her willingness to enact revenge on those she believes have wronged her make her become increasingly distrustful and resentful of Noel: “I’m getting sick of his apologies—sick of keeping our dinner warm in the oven until whatever time he decides to come home” (37). The narrative implies that Noel could be cheating on Talia, as suggested by his late nights at work and the perfume that he smells like when he does return home.

However, aside from Talia’s jealousy clouding her perception of her husband, there is little cause, through Noel’s actions alone, that he would really cheat on her. He tells her at their dinner party, after she threatens a woman for talking to Noel: “You’re the most important person in the world to me, and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. I will always be faithful to you […] And you know it’s true, because if I ever did cheat on you, you’d probably kill me” (33). This quote illustrates not only Noel’s devotion to Talia but foreshadows later events when Talia believes Noel to be cheating on her, thus deciding to kill him in revenge. Noel is aware of the intensity of his wife’s emotions, and while the latter part of the quote presents as a lighthearted joke, there is a sense that Noel does know the character of who he married.

Despite Talia’s doubts about Noel’s fidelity, Noel’s devotion to Talia is a consistent feature in the narrative. There are clues throughout to indicate that, even in Talia’s comatose state, Noel refuses to give up on her. Before Talia realizes she is in a coma, she has a series of “dreams” or memories of her life with Noel leading up to her accident. Each of these scenes ends with Noel telling Talia some variation of, “There’s only one thing you need to do first […] Wake up” (13). The repetition of Noel telling Talia to “wake up” in her dreams hints at the reveal in Chapter 16 that Talia has been in a coma for the duration of the text and that Noel has remained by her side. Even as the doctor tells Noel that there is no hope of Talia making a recovery, Noel refuses to give up on her: “Wake up, Talia […] Please wake up. I love you so much” (65). This devotion to his wife undermines Talia’s paranoia and distrust of Noel, emphasizing how tragic her situation is and how she allowed her jealous nature to get in the way of a truly devoted relationship.

Rhea is Talia’s primary correctional officer and later turns out to be her nurse when the text reveals that Talia is not on death row but hospitalized in a coma. In both roles, Rhea provides brief windows of care and compassion for Talia during her time of need and emphasizes the positive effect that treating others with humanity has on individuals, especially in scenarios structured to dehumanize them.

During Talia’s experience on death row, she emphasizes the lack of humanity with which she is treated by most of the guards. Rhea is a deviation from this norm: “I’m supposed to call COs by their last names, the same way everyone calls me by my last name, but she introduced herself to me as Rhea, so I feel I have license to call her that” (8). The fact that Rhea introduced herself to Talia by her first name, breaking with protocol, is a small gesture that takes on greater meaning for Talia, who is used to being treated “like a wild animal” (8). Calling Rhea by her first name reminds Talia of her own humanity.

Rhea comes to Talia’s aid in other ways during her time on death row: Talia alludes to the “agonizing” pat-downs she is subjected to each time she has to leave her cell, which are usually performed by men. Rhea, in contrast, acknowledges the challenge of the pat-downs and is always gentle when performing them, promising, “I’ll be done quickly” (22). This is another way in which Rhea shows basic human decency to Talia, not wielding her position of power as a guard against Talia. Rhea gives Talia perhaps her greatest gift on the morning of her execution when she compliments Talia’s appearance, and offers: “‘Your hair is a bit messy, though […] Would you like me to brush it for you?’” (58). Such a simple act of kindness fills Talia with gratitude in what she assumes will be her last moments.

Despite the fact that she appears as different iterations of herself once the text reveals that Talia is in a coma, Rhea is a static character. A static character is one whose role in the text remains the same regardless of plot or environment. While certain aspects of Rhea’s character change from her role as a guard in the prison to a nurse in the hospital, her essential role in the text remains the same: She humanizes Talia and treats her with compassion.

This aspect of Rhea’s character becomes clear when the reader learns that Rhea is her primary nurse and caregiver while in the month-long coma. Talia hears Dr. Bowman tell Noel that Rhea has brushed Talia’s hair in preparation for taking her off life support, acting with the same compassion Rhea displayed prior to Talia’s execution. Though in this scene Rhea assumes that Talia is unconscious, she displays a similar level of compassion toward Talia’s loved ones, telling Noel: “She knows you love her […] I’m sure she knows. And now she’s moving on to a happier place. This will release her” (65). As a character, Rhea serves to help make Talia’s final days and transition, whether from execution or removal from life support, as painless and as full of humanity as possible.