Pen Pal

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual violence and harassment, mental illness, child abuse, pregnancy loss, graphic violence, sexual content, death, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.

Kayla Reece is the protagonist of the novel. She is an illustrator for children’s books who lives in Washington State on Bainbridge Island. For most of the first part of the novel, Inferno, Kayla is coping with the death of her husband, Michael. This part of the novel centers on Kayla’s grief, as well as the guilt she feels for having a relationship with a new man, Aidan. The author reveals Kayla’s character through contrasts, such as her assertion that she is empathetic and kind, though grief has made her bitter and angry. She dedicates effort to explaining how her forward sexuality with Aidan is an anomaly, such as noting that she did not let Michael come to her house until they had been dating for six months. These details frame Kayla as a kind and introverted person, unlikely to go out of her way to seek help, even in the abusive marriage she experienced with Michael.

Inferno is also Kayla’s journey toward understanding her death, the events that led up to her death, and what she wants from the afterlife.