Assorted Friends and Exes

Character Analysis

On Min's side, we have Joe, Lauren, and Jordan. Joe is Min's ex, and he's of little consequence except on the night of Halloween, when he and Min share a sexy dance. Lauren and Jordan are Min's pals—the latter barely has a speaking part, but Lauren is a little more developed. We know she's trustworthy because Al confides in her about his love for Min, and Lauren's the one Min asks to cover for her on the night she loses her virginity to Ed.

Speaking of Ed, on his side, there's Trevor, Jillian, and Annette. Trevor is Ed's perpetually drunk best friend. He's a tool, but he and Ed seem to share a genuinely close bro bond; Ed tells him secrets, like the fact that Min's a virgin. Another perpetually drunk person in Ed's life is his most recent ex-girlfriend, Jillian. She's sort of pathetic, and she's annoying and antagonistic toward Min for most of the book. Ultimately, she's sort of an ally when Min bumps into her right after the big breakup—compassionate and helpful, she drives Min away from the scene of the crime.

Finally, there's Annette, another of Ed's exes, who's friendly-ish toward Min. Like Jillian, she serves as Min's foil. The difference between Annette and Min can be summed up thusly: For Halloween, Min always wears a conceptual costume. (Last year she went as "yellow journalism.") Annette's costume, on the other hand, is a tube top made out of chains from the hardware store… sans bra. She's just classy like that. Also classy? She's secretly sleeping with Ed, even though his girlfriend is Min. Oops.