Tiger is just about to turn 13, and, as the protagonist of the narrative, her development is the core of this coming-of-age novel. Over the course of the story, her worldview widens, and she becomes surer of herself, her family, and her place in the world.

In the beginning of the novel, Tiger is insecure, and this insecurity has roots in several areas of her life: her physical appearance, her tomboyish temperament (playing baseball, for example), and her parents. She often references the prettiest girl in town, Abby Lynn, and how she is jealous both of Abby Lynn’s beauty and her social status with the other girls in Saitter; in contrast, Tiger describes herself as looking like her father, “tall and skinny with thin red hair and a long neck” (5), and this is quite different from the beauty standards with which she’s familiar. Tiger also feels embarrassed by her parents’ intellectual disabilities. After a particularly embarrassing incident and the death of her grandmother, Tiger begins to resent her parents for their differences. She feels guilty about this resentment, and, as such, she feels unable to face her feelings at first.

When Tiger visits Baton Rouge with her Aunt Dorie Kay, she intends to move to the city and live with her aunt.