Ob
Ob is the husband of May and the uncle of May. Ob is a calm man who is kindhearted, loving, and caring. May and Ob live happily, and they respect each other. May adores Ob because he consults her before he does anything. When May suggests they adopt Summer, Ob agrees because he is humane and would not wish a young girl to suffer in foster homes.
The reader realizes that Ob is an emotional man and a dreamer. When May dies, Ob finds it hard to move on with his life because he spends most of his days grieving. Fortunately, Summer and Cletus encourage him to accept that May will never return, and the best he can do is to appreciate life and the people around him.
May
May is the wife of Ob and the aunt of Summer. May is a jovial and lovely woman because she treats people with affection. May adopts Summer at age six and treats her like one of her biological children. May dies when Summer celebrates her 12th birthday. May’s death is painful to Summer and Ob because she was deer to them.
Cletus
Cletus is a peculiar boy who can interact with the spiritual world. Cletus and Summer are classmates and friends. When Summer brings Cletus home, Ob gets interested in him after learning that he interacts with the spiritual world. Ob has always wanted to reconnect with his late wife. Cletus organizes a spiritual journey for Ob and Summer to meet a mediator. Unfortunately, they fail to find the mediator and return home.
Summer
Summer is the central character in the novel. When the novel begins, Summer is 6 years old. Summer’s mother died while giving birth, leaving the baby under the care of foster homes. Summer lived in many foster houses before finally getting adopted by her aunt, May, and uncle Ob. Despite May and her husband living in a trailer house, Summer is excited because she has a place she can call home. In addition, May and Ob are loving parents who treat her like one of their biological children.
When Summer turns 12 years old, Aunty May dies. The dearth of May pains Summer, but she accepts the outcome with time. Summer loves spending time with Cletus, a boy who tells her stories about his ability to interact with the spiritual world.
