Jojo is the novel’s main character and one of its three narrators. The novel opens on his 13th birthday—a milestone often taken to mark the beginning of adolescence, and thus a child’s transition to adulthood. As the story unfolds, the question of what it means to be a man is never far from Jojo’s thoughts, and the novel itself is to some extent a coming-of-age tale depicting common teenage experiences—for instance, Jojo’s new interest in Misty’s breasts. Jojo also matures over the course of the novel, coming to understand (if not to like) the reasons for his mother’s irresponsible behavior.

In other ways, however, Jojo is already very mature by the time the novel opens. Because his mother, Leonie, was already a regular drug user by the time she had Kayla, Jojo has taken on a prominent role in raising his younger sister. What is noteworthy about this is not simply the unusual amount of responsibility Jojo proves capable of shouldering, but also the tenderness that characterizes his interactions with Kayla. Where Leonie is often frustrated by the realities of raising a toddler (tantrums, sickness, etc.), Jojo never loses patience with or resents his sister. The selfless love he provides Kayla with is in many ways the novel’s model for caretaking.