Little Secrets

McKenzie Li is a primary, dynamic character. Throughout the novel, the third-person narration presents intermittent chapters through McKenzie’s lens. These portions of the novel grant perspective on Marin’s chapters and complicate the novel’s overarching thematic explorations. As the narrative unfolds, McKenzie’s character becomes a foil for Marin’s. Unlike Marin, McKenzie is single, attending art school, and struggling to support herself financially with her barista job and affairs with older, wealthy men. However, McKenzie does share some qualities with Marin. Like Marin, she similarly allows her heartbreak and confusion to guide her actions. She often becomes overwhelmed by her hurt feelings and incapable of judging right from wrong as a result. These overlaps in the women’s internal experiences further the novel’s explorations of the Conflict and Loyalty in Intimate Relationships and Identity and Self-Worth After Personal Tragedy.

McKenzie is having an affair with Derek throughout most of the novel. She and Derek originally met at a food truck in Pike Place Market and later became involved after Derek began frequenting McKenzie’s café, the Green Bean. McKenzie initially believes that their affair “has zero to do with romance” (107). However, she begins to realize that she’s forming an attachment to Derek once Derek starts to pull away. She knows that he’s married and that he lost his young son. These facets of Derek’s life don’t make Marin feel guilty for their arrangement but rather augment her loneliness. Indeed, McKenzie has been treated as an afterthought in almost all of her relationships. The married men she’s made a habit of seeing don’t prioritize her or her needs. Even J.R., the one man she dated who was single, doesn’t treat her well. McKenzie has let her heartbreak over J.R. affect her other relationships and fails to end their friendship in spite of J.R.’s consistently negligent behavior. McKenzie’s relational complications are inspired by her childhood trauma and resulting abandonment issues.

Like Marin, McKenzie’s character experiences an emotional awakening in the later chapters of her storyline. When she breaks into Derek and Marin’s house after Derek ends their affair, she sees “the life they have that will never be hers” and understands that she “doesn’t belong” (205, 210). Feeling hurt and forgotten, Marin then becomes involved in J.R. and Julian’s scheme to con Marin and Derek. Although Marin wants the money, she starts to realize that hurting this vulnerable couple is not the answer. She soon returns to her old life and makes amends with Marin a month after the police arrest J.R. and recover Sebastian.

Sal Palermo is a secondary character. He is Lorna Palermo's son, McKenzie’s ex-boyfriend, and Marin’s best friend. Marin and Sal have known each other for years and dated in college. Marin hurt Sal during the breakup, but they’ve remained close ever since. Marin is still attached to Sal and relies on him for support but believes that “[t]hey’re better as friends” than they were as a couple (76). Meanwhile, Sal is harboring feelings for Marin. She knows that he loves her, but Sal doesn’t always articulate the depth of his emotions. He chooses to sustain his friendship with Marin in hopes that one day she’ll divorce Derek and return to him.

Sal is the owner and operator of Sal’s Bar. He bought the bar shortly after his father, Sal Sr., died. Marin isn’t sure if Sal is guilty of killing his father but knows that Sal was tangentially involved in the accident that led to Sal Sr. falling off a balcony to his death. This topic rarely comes up between the two characters because of the guilt and confusion surrounding the incident. Whenever Marin and Sal meet up, Marin visits Sal at his bar, and they sit and talk.

Sal also maintains a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, McKenzie. McKenzie refers to Sal by his childhood nickname, J.R. He and McKenzie are from the same hometown and dated for a brief time when McKenzie was 19. Sal knows that McKenzie is still attached to him but doesn’t end their communication or try to spare her feelings. His brusqueness often offends and hurts her.

In Part 3, Marin learns through Vanessa Castro that Sal is responsible for taking Sebastian. Not long later, McKenzie discovers why: Sal hoped that taking Sebastian would drive Marin and Derek apart, and Marin would turn to him for love and comfort. Marin has trouble reconciling with this discovery because she has never doubted her friendship with Sal. At the same time, Sal has a criminal record and close relationships with nefarious characters, including his fixer, Julian.

Sal’s character shows no true signs of change over the course of the novel, making him a static character. Rather, his negative traits only become more pronounced as the narrative progresses. Because the third-person limited narrator inhabits Marin’s and McKenzie’s psyches throughout, Sal is always presented in a favorable light. Marin and McKenzie both care about Sal and are therefore eager to forgive his faults and overlook his unkindness. However, when Sal grows increasingly angry and volatile, the women begin to doubt his authenticity and his intentions. Ultimately, Sal is arrested for kidnapping Sebastian.