Nizhoni, the Navajo narrator and protagonist of Race to the Sun, struggles with feelings of abandonment after her mother left their family when Nizhoni was a toddler, signaling the novel’s thematic interest in Absent Parents. Over the course of the novel, Nizhoni learns of her mother’s destiny to fight monsters—a destiny she herself shares. Moreover, Nizhoni feels neglected by her father, who is highly focused on his career. Shortly before the novel begins, Nizhoni discovered that she can sense monsters, who often take on the guise of regular people.

Nizhoni’s relationship with her younger brother, Mac, is complicated by her feelings of responsibility for her younger sibling in her mother’s absence, despite the closeness of their ages. Nizhoni begins the novel desiring to be “school famous” and earn acclaim and respect among her fellow students. Instead, she finds herself struggling to establish an identity within the broader school community.

As she learns to trust in herself and her abilities over the course of the novel, Nizhoni’s character arc leads her to discover that heroism means more than receiving praise for one’s actions. Her emotional journey is challenged by her insecurities about being “just” a kid or “just” a girl.