Content Warning: This section discusses racism and colorism, forced transition and gender dysphoria, discrimination and violence toward transgender people, child abuse, domestic violence, sexual violence, anti-gay bias and discrimination, and suicide.

For the purposes of character analysis, this section will refer to the character formally known as Perfect as Paul and will use the masculine pronouns that are used to refer to Paul throughout the latter half of the novel. Paul is the protagonist of the novel and is raised as a girl by his mother, Emma Jean, despite the fact that he is assigned male at birth. Growing up with the name Perfect, he enjoys a close relationship with his mother that the social norms surrounding feminine gender identity allow him to develop. At age eight, Perfect’s mother tells him that he is a boy and needs to “act like” a boy. At this point, Perfect’s pronouns and gender presentation are changed without his consent, and he is forced to fit into society’s gendered expectations of how a young man should act and look.

As Perfect transitions into Paul, he is forced to endure aggressive treatment from his brothers and judgment from his community.