Narrator
The narrator of Hell of a Book is the main character and protagonist of the novel. He is an author who has written a book that is described as one hell of a book. Not much else is given about the book, and readers are never given the narrator's true name. Instead, they are left to wonder about the narrator and what he stands for.
The narrator is supposedly Black, as he discovers through Soot and The Kid more about his identity. The first half of the book, the narrator acts in almost a satirical manner, not sure of anything and doing strange, witty, or downright obnoxious things (like running naked through a hotel). In the second half of the novel, the narrator is shown more bluntly how Black people have been oppressed in the United States and the ongoing problems of systemic racism.
Soot
Soot is an unnamed Black child that is dubbed "Soot" because of his extremely dark skin. Soot tells the narrator about his family, and how his mother wished that she could have raised him in a safer world. Soot helps the narrator realize more about himself, and that the reason he is so lost in life is because of all of the struggles that he faces on a day to day basis.
Soot is not a dynamic character, per se, as hos goal and outlook through the novel do not change. However, he embodies the wisdom of an adult into the innocence of a child.
The Kid
The Kid first appears to the narrator while he is on a tour promoting his book. The Kid, like Soot, reveals some dark truths about humanity and racism to the narrator. However, it is unclear whether The Kid is actually a real person, or a figment of the narrator's imagination. The Kid also is somewhat representative of the repeated stories of a Black boy being shot that people keep telling to the narrator.
