Scythe & Sparrow

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes descriptions of physical abuse, graphic violence, and cursing.

Rose Evans is one of the novel’s two protagonists and first-person narrators. All of the chapters marked with her first name are written from her perspective and trace episodes from her storyline. At the beginning of the novel, 26-year-old Rose is living and working with the Silveria Circus. She has been with the show since she ran away from home at age 15 because her father was violent and abused her mother, rendering the woman unable to care for Rose. Ever since, Rose has dedicated herself to helping other survivors of abuse. For the purposes of the show, Rose drives a motorcycle inside a metal cage (a stunt that fulfills her risk-taking personality) and conducts tarot readings at a booth (a talent that she learned from her late grandmother). The art of tarot also helps Rose to meet women who need her help in escaping their abusive marriages. Although helping these women compels Rose to commit violent acts, she rationalizes her choices with the conviction that she is acting to ensure the women’s safety.

Rose is a spirited, self-possessed, and confident person who nonetheless starts to question her sense of home and belonging after she suffers a broken leg upon attacking the abusive Matt Cranwell.