Content Warning: Canyons explores concepts such as racism, colonialism, and violence against children. 

Brennan Cole, one of the two protagonists of Canyons, is a 14-year-old boy who lives in El Paso, Texas, with his single mother. Brennan’s father left the family when he was a toddler, causing lifelong distress and sadness within Brennan. A primary characteristic of Brennan is his obsession with running, which he does not out of any sense of competitiveness or desire to be an athlete, but rather as a way to escape his daily life. Brennan is also shown to be very dedicated to his interests and a hard worker; he occasionally helps a local man with landscaping, and he does this job with passion and precision. Similarly, when he becomes obsessed with the skull, he essentially disappears for days during the investigation, at one point working all night long with no sleep. Brennan is a loner, and his best friend is his high school biology teacher, Homesley, who helps him with his mission throughout the novel.

Brennan exhibits an almost spiritual connection to Coyote Runs after he discovers the skull in the canyon. He begins to hear Coyote Runs’s instructions in his mind, and he also has an ability to remember some of the same sights, smells, and sounds as Coyote Runs experienced in his life.