Hidden Nature

Sloan is one of the two protagonists of the novel and the female romantic lead. She is a young woman in her twenties, athletic and blonde, with green eyes and a face with “strong cheekbones, a slim nose, and a long, sharply defined mouth” (5). Sloan is initially described as “intense, driven, and buttoned-down” (3). Dr. Vincenti, who operates on her gunshot wound, observes Sloan’s obstinacy but also her intelligence, telling her, “while you’re stubborn enough to resist getting help, you’re smart enough to know when you need it” (21). Sloan is tough mentally and physically, and it is this mental grit that makes her push herself toward recovery. She hated being vulnerable during the mini-mart robbery and does not want to be caught off- guard again. She is also haunted, as her nightmares suggest, by the fear of being seen as weak. She is able to borrow strength from others, but she is determined to be independent.

Sloan is the analytical type. She admits, “I think through, calculate, weigh, self-debate pros and cons” (102). Elsie, her mother, finds this an admirable trait: “It’s a rare thing for you to take a jump without calculating the distance, time, wind velocity” (134).