Simon O'Keeffe

Simon O’Keeffe is the main character and the novel’s narrator. At 12-years-old, Simon struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and panic attacks. Throughout the early parts of the novel, he does not directly state what event took place to cause this. However, when Kevin and his mother accidentally stumble on the story, it is revealed that Simon is the survivor of a school shooting where everyone in his class was killed. Due to this, Simon is deathly afraid of sirens and struggles to control his panic in rooms that only have one door. He also avoids discussing the incident and is terrified of people finding out. Eventually, he comes to accept that it is his own trauma and he deserves to handle it in his own way. This allows him to explore his own passions instead of letting his past define who he is...