Short

Content Warning: This section includes discussion of racial discrimination, ableism, pet death, and grief.

Julia Marks is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. Julia never discloses her age, though the reader can infer from her syntax, her position in the family, and her thought processes that she is in late elementary school. At the start of the novel, seven weeks have passed since the death of Julia’s dog, Ramon. Because Julia interprets her surroundings through the lens of Ramon’s death, the reader often only has access to details that Julia can connect to a memory about Ramon. Her inner fixation on Ramon is the foundation for the novel’s theme of Processing Grief.

Julia directly characterizes herself as “short,” though she quickly explains that she chooses not to use that word as it has negative connotations for her. Julia’s sensitivity about her height becomes the basis for the novel’s discussion of Body Positivity, Discrimination, and Intersectionality. Julia also describes herself as untalented and specifically unmusical in comparison to her brothers and peers. Julia often relies on this direct comparison to family members or friends to describe herself, reflecting her still developing sense of self and her tendency towards jealousy.