Dig by A.S. King tells the story of the Hemmings family, who, over the course of several generations, have dealt with privilege, bigotry, and trauma. The novel focuses on the family's elderly patriarch and matriarch, Gottfried and Marla Hemmings (respectively), who are largely responsible for the family's financial prosperity because of their potato-selling business. But they are not kind people. They are racist people who treat people of color—including their Black grandson, Malcolm—with scorn and contempt.
The novel is told in a non-linear fashion and is told from the perspective of five teenagers from the Hemmings family. One of those teenagers is called "The Shoveler," who has an iterant lifestyle thanks to his unstable mother. With his sister, "The Freak" (who is able to project her spirit to different time periods), the two explore the history of their family. Among them, there's The Shoveler, who leads a transient lifestyle with his unstable mother.
Meanwhile, the duo's sister, called "CanIHelpYou?" deals with personal struggles. She tries to discover who she is and what she likes while working at a flea market, all while grappling with their mother's estrangement from the family and their family's legacy. Another Hemmings teenager named Loretta engages in illegal activities as a way to break free from her family's legacy and stifling environment.
However, perhaps the most important thread in the novel involves the aforementioned Malcolm, who deals with racism from his family on a daily basis. This racism, which primarily comes from Gottfried and Marla, showcases the generational prejudices the family harbors.
The final main character in the novel is called the "Shovel Man." Initially, he seems like an enigmatic homeless person who constantly digs. But as the story unfolds, his ties to the Hemmings' twisted roots become evident. He helped the family, both literally and figuratively, bury their secrets and some of their horrible, racist acts from the past.
Separately, the family works for wrestling with their family's past and the issues in their life. Eventually, though, they meet up at the annual family reunion. The five teenagers finally come together at the family reunion, where something tragic happens: violence erupts because of the family's buried secrets and its racism—particularly against Malcolm. Still, each character comes out of the family reunion and the violence that came with it stronger and more resolute than before.
