Wrecker

Wrecker is the 15-year-old protagonist of the novel. He is an introverted and somewhat shy young man who does not spend much time socializing with his peers. Rather, he loves the outdoors, particularly being alone out on the ocean. He is a skilled navigator who knows the Key West waters well. He is responsible enough to have his own skiff, which he maintains without adult assistance. He is also a hard worker who takes on odd jobs as well as a part-time job at the grocery store, in addition to the fishing he does to help feed himself and his family.

Wrecker has a deep love for Key West, where he has lived all of his life. He exemplifies What It Means to Belong to a Place. He is proud of his family history of salvage diving and other professions related to Key West’s marine environment. During the novel, he gets increasingly involved in efforts to protect Key West’s waters. As a biracial person, Wrecker struggles to accept Key West’s history of racist violence, but he is a dynamic character who eventually learns to make peace with the dark past of the island he loves by having a positive impact on its present.