70 pages • 2 hours read
Beth O'LearyA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Content Warning: The source text and this guide include discussion of emotional abuse and manipulative behavior in relationships.
Tiffy is the female protagonist of the novel and narrates every other chapter. Tiffy describes herself as tall, and others have called her “larger than life.” She has curly red hair and often wears colorful, bizarre outfits. In the past, she has been made to feel too big, in both physical size and personality, but Leon shows her that it is others’ insecurities that cause them to make her feel bad about herself.
Tiffy’s narrative voice depicts her as warm, loving, creative, and whimsical. She is a good friend who is loyal and loving, to the point that people like Justin take advantage of her.
Tiffy works as an editor at a publishing company, and, though she is good at her job, she frequently mentions that she is underpaid and overworked. A signal of her growth throughout the novel is that she gets a promotion and becomes more assertive and confident at work.
When the novel begins, she is recovering from a painful breakup with Justin, her emotionally abusive and manipulative ex.