Michael

Michael is the narrator of the novel. He is a young black man who has lived with his single mother, a Trinidadian immigrant, in the Scarborough district of Toronto for his entire life. He is sort of introverted and his life revolves around caring for his mother. Near the beginning of the novel he claims, "I don't want others in my life" (39). Nonetheless, he still has feelings for Aisha, who he asked to come visit before the start of the novel. He works at a discount food superstore called Easy Buy, which is a precarious and poorly paid job that he hates. Michael is somewhat bookish, he mentions having a James Baldwin book in his bag at one point, and also that he "can be found 'idling' in the public library" (42).

Although he lives in an urban area, Michael used to spend a lot of time in a...