Kiss the Villain

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual content, child abuse, child sexual abuse, and death by suicide.

Gareth Carson is one of the main characters in the narrative and one of its main narrators. Gareth describes himself as having a “beautifully proportionate face. Shiny blond hair and ‘enchanting green eyes’ […]. [He’s] often been called the personification of a Prince Charming with [his] classically handsome face, dimpled smile, and welcoming appearance” (23). Son of Asher Carson and Reina Ellis, Gareth is the oldest son of the family and Killian’s older brother. He is the grandson of Alexander Carson, and Gareth aims to be a lawyer like him by studying law at King’s U College. At the beginning of the narrative, Gareth is 21 years old and a founding member of the exclusive Heathens group. 

While he may be academically inclined and famous on campus, Gareth nevertheless harbors violent impulses, and, through them, Kent implies that he is coded as having antisocial personality disorder like his brother. Gareth proves to be calculating, manipulative, and impressively skilled at showcasing what he calls his “golden boy” persona—a façade he maintains to be socially accepted by both his peers and his family alike.