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Character Analysis
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of child sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, mental illness, suicidal ideation, self-harm, antigay bias, and cursing.
Brandon King
Brandon is one the novel’s two protagonists. He’s a round and dynamic character whose central conflict is internal: a struggle between the meticulously controlled public persona he presents and the traumatized, repressed self he hides. His character arc drives the narrative, tracing his journey from secrecy and self-loathing toward a difficult but necessary emotional honesty.
One of Brandon’s defining traits is his rigid discipline, which is a coping mechanism for past trauma. He adheres to a rigid daily routine, waking at five o’clock, running a specific path, and maintaining an unfailingly polite demeanor. This need for order is a way to manage the internal chaos he feels. His art is a powerful symbol of this duality; his public work consists of polished, technically precise landscapes that represent the orderly facade he presents to the world, while his hidden, chaotic abstract paintings are an outlet for the intense emotions he can’t articulate. This carefully maintained control is directly linked to this idea, as his discipline is a method of hiding his pain rather than addressing it.
Though he doesn’t acknowledge the trauma of his childhood sexual assault, he habitually avoids triggers that might lead to a resurgence of psychological symptoms. He avoids look at his own reflection, a motif that represents his fractured self-perception and discomfort with his identity. He avoids direct confrontation, preferring to de-escalate or retreat from conflict—making him a foil for Nikolai, who actively seeks out conflict, including violence, as a means of managing his “red-haze moods” (206). His long-term, on-again, off-again relationship with Clara is another form of avoidance, a performance of the heteronormative life he feels obligated to lead. By maintaining this relationship, he attempts to reinforce a “normal” identity and suppress his burgeoning feelings for Nikolai, further perpetuating the silence around his true self.
Despite his internal turmoil, Brandon is fiercely loyal and protective, particularly toward his family. His initial motivation for attending the Heathens’ initiation is a text threatening his twin brother, Landon. Though their relationship is fraught with tension, Brandon feels an innate responsibility “to save him from himself as usual” (5). This protective instinct also extends to his younger sister, Glyn, whose involvement with the Heathens causes him significant alarm. This loyalty acts as a primary motivator, forcing him into the very situations that threaten his control and ultimately catalyze his transformation. His journey begins when his protective instincts place him in Nikolai’s path, and his growth is marked by his eventual ability to accept love and support from others, moving from isolated suffering to shared vulnerability and healing.
Nikolai Sokolov
Nikolai is one of the novel’s two protagonists. A round and dynamic character, he acts as the catalyst for Brandon’s transformation while undergoing his own. His chaotic, uninhibited nature directly opposes Brandon’s rigid control, and his persistence forces the emotional honesty necessary for both characters’ growth and the development of their relationship.
Nikolai is initially characterized by his violent tendencies. He’s introduced as “violence on steroids” and has a reputation for resolving conflicts with his fists (9). The motif of blood is frequently associated with him, marking his comfort with brutality, which stands in stark contrast to Brandon’s aversion to it. However, this outward ferocity masks his fear of vulnerability. He’s initially frightened by the intensity of his attraction to Brandon, and he responds by physically attacking Brandon whenever he feels rejected, as well as by taking out his physical aggression on others. It’s only after he witnesses Brandon’s own vulnerability that Nikolai is able to access a gentle and nurturing side of himself. Nikolai’s confrontational nature is the force that breaks down Brandon’s defenses, creating the space for genuine connection, while Brandon helps him access a compassionate nature that has been hidden under layers of self-protective toughness.
Beneath his chaotic exterior, Nikolai is exceptionally perceptive. He’s the first character to see through Brandon’s carefully constructed “preppy boy” façade. He recognizes Brandon’s resilience and underlying beauty, giving him the nickname “Lotus Flower,” a symbol of growth emerging from difficult circumstances. While Brandon hides, Nikolai pursues. He persistently seeks Brandon out, forcing interactions that dismantle Brandon’s routine and emotional distance. This relentless pursuit stems from a genuine curiosity that evolves into a deep-seated need for connection, challenging Brandon to confront the truths he has long suppressed.
Nikolai is defined by a fierce and unwavering loyalty. He’s deeply protective of his family, particularly his sister, Mia, and his chosen family of Heathens, including his best friend, Jeremy, and cousins Killian and Gareth. This loyalty, a core part of his identity, eventually extends to Brandon. He defends Brandon from attackers and later commits to helping him fight his inner demons, telling him, “I’ll be by your side during all your battles” (576). Nikolai’s volatile but dependable loyalty provides Brandon with a form of safety he has never known. While Nikolai begins the story as a force of chaos, his relationship with Brandon tempers his destructive impulses, channeling his intensity into a deep and protective love that facilitates healing for them both.
Landon King
Landon is a foil to his identical twin, Brandon. He’s a round character who remains largely static, representing the life of unapologetic confidence and confrontation that Brandon actively represses. As Brandon’s twin, Landon’s presence constantly highlights Brandon’s anxieties about his own identity, worth, and place within their family. Their shared face but divergent personalities create a central tension in Brandon’s life.
Landon is characterized by his narcissism and antagonism. He’s the leader of the Elites, Royal Elite University’s rival club to the Heathens, and thrives on conflict and attention. He’s openly critical of Brandon’s restrained lifestyle and mannerly art, viewing it as a product of “repressing. Hiding. Shackling [his] real self” (5). This judgment intensifies Brandon’s insecurity, yet it also contains a kernel of truth that Brandon must eventually confront. Landon’s provocative nature often creates the external conflicts that force Brandon out of his comfort zone, making him an unwitting catalyst for the plot.
Despite his antagonistic role, Landon demonstrates a complex, protective love for his brother. His reckless actions, such as fighting Nikolai, inadvertently draw Brandon into the main plot. He’s sharply perceptive of Brandon’s vulnerabilities, particularly his toxic relationship with Clara, and vows to intervene if she hurts Brandon again. Significantly, Landon is the only member of the family who immediately recognizes the artistic merit of Brandon’s hidden abstract paintings, calling one “fucking brilliant.” This moment reveals that, despite his abrasive personality, Landon possesses a deep, almost instinctual understanding of Brandon’s true self, seeing the genius in the chaos that Brandon tries to hide.
Clara
Clara is a flat, static character who’s a symbol of Brandon’s public facade and repressed identity. Their on-again, off-again relationship represents the heteronormative life that Brandon feels social and familial pressure to perform. She’s not a fully developed character in her own right; rather, her presence serves to highlight the inauthenticity of Brandon’s existence before he meets Nikolai.
As a catalyst for the romantic conflict, Clara’s interactions with Brandon make his internal struggle visible. When Brandon kisses her to prove his straightness to Nikolai, his mechanical and disengaged actions contrast sharply with the raw, chaotic passion he experiences with Nikolai. Her character embodies the superficiality that Brandon must ultimately reject to achieve a more authentic life. Breaking up with her is a significant step in dismantling the facade he has maintained for years, allowing him to begin pursuing a genuine connection with Nikolai.
Grace Bruckner
Grace is a flat, static character who’s initially portrayed as a minor antagonist—an influential art agent whose manipulative tactics and high-pressure approach trigger anxiety and depression in Brandon. When she threatens Nikolai in the King family home, a more sinister side of her personality emerges. Her choice to forward evidence of her criminal sexual assault of a minor to Nikolai suggests that she believes her power in the art world insulates her from consequences.
The revelation that she sexually assaulted Brandon when he was 15 makes her the central antagonist in his life and thus in the novel. He has kept this abuse secret for years because Grace conditioned him to believe that what happened was his fault—a form of psychological abuse that compounds her sexual abuse and leads directly to Brandon’s history of self-harm. When Grace’s abuse comes to light, the sudden exposure precipitates Brandon’s suicide attempt, but the crisis also creates the conditions in which Brandon and his family can begin to heal.
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