Death Row

Talia Kemper is the protagonist. Talia’s intense jealousy issues are an important aspect of her character and shape her actions throughout the text. Early on, Talia demonstrates a revenge-seeking streak, as she spits in the drink of her ex-boyfriend’s new paramour. While an illegal retaliation, this is only the beginning of Talia’s revenge-seeking behavior, which intensifies as the text goes on, raising the question of whether Talia could really be capable of murder.

The scene at the party in Chapter 7, in which Talia threatens a woman who was speaking to Talia’s husband, is meant to show that Talia may have murderous tendencies: “I want to reach out and strangle her with my bare hands. I want to choke her until she dies […] The fact that Noel is standing right here and wouldn’t go along with it is the only thing preventing me from doing it” (32). Instead of acting on this murderous impulse, Talia threatens to call the police on the woman, sending her away. This reaction illustrates an escalation in Talia’s jealous behavior: The woman, while perhaps flirtatious, was only talking to Noel, and Talia’s response is extreme, a reflection of the intensity of her behavior and passion.