Everlost

Nick is another 14-year-old protagonist in the novel. He is half-Japanese—his father is Japanese, his mother is white—and has reddish-brown hair and brown eyes. Nick’s father was an alcoholic who found God and became a better man. Nick’s mother, on the other hand, prefers alternative visions of Death and the Afterlife, such as the concept of reincarnation. Because of his parents’ diverse religious beliefs, Nick feels he falls somewhere between them. While riding in the car just before the fateful accident, Nick eats a half-melted chocolate bar that, due to his siblings’ shenanigans, ends up coating his mouth—permanently, as it turns out. Thus, the chocolate on Nick’s face represents the last time he was with his siblings before his death and exemplifies the typical behavior often associated with siblings.

Initially, Nick serves as a foil to Allie when they arrive in Everlost, for while Allie is pragmatic and immediately seeks to solve problems, Nick is much more gloomy and pessimistic and less concerned with trying to understand how Everlost works. Over time, however, Nick makes some significant changes to his character. He begins his transformation during his time in the pickle barrel, for although his friend Lief is resigned to his situation, Nick becomes angry with Allie for leaving him there. In time, Nick realizes that he worries too much and wills himself to become fearless. The other pivotal moment of Nick’s change occurs when he’s hanging upside down in the chiming chamber on the Sulphur Queen. As during his time in the barrel, he reflects upon his situation and resolves to stop being a follower and become a leader: proactive instead of passive. Nick demonstrates this change by using the other imprisoned Afterlights to help him get through the grate at the top of the chamber. Nick’s newfound courage and boldness lead him to discover the purpose of coins and allow him to free numerous souls from Afterlight. Thus, he proves himself a dynamic character by changing and becoming more assertive.

Lief is a dynamic secondary protagonist who plays a significant role in helping Nick and Allie navigate Everlost. He is 11 years old, has a lot of freckles across his face, and wears old-fashioned clothes, implying that he has spent a great deal of time in this half-existence. Despite being stuck in an Everlost forest for over 100 years, Lief is happy, optimistic, and kind, and he has learned much from his own experience instead of from the misinformation in Mary’s books. Lief stays in the Dead Forest because the entire area is solid and prevents him from sinking. Despite his happy nature, Lief is also lonely and has seen numerous Afterlights walk through his forest as they move on to other places. This explains why he becomes upset when he knows Allie and Nick intend to leave. Lief has been alone for so long that he wants friends and company. He wants them so badly, in fact, that he ultimately leaves his forest and follows Nick and Allie. This is a significant choice for Lief, as the forest is all he remembers of Everlost, and he feels safe and secure there. Thus, he demonstrates genuine kindness and friendship when he shows he’s willing to give up safety and security for the sake of his friends.

Lief’s ability to leave Everlost so quickly also reflects the peace, serenity, and patience that he has found during his time in Everlost. This odd equanimity with his surroundings is most powerfully demonstrated by his lack of concern at being trapped in a pickle barrel, for once there, Lief simply accepts his new reality and waits for whatever comes next. When the McGill’s pirates trap Lief on the Sulphur Queen, he likewise makes peace with his situation and is content merely to exist. Thus, Lief symbolizes the purpose of Everlost, which is to prepare Afterlights for the afterlife. When Lief takes the coin from Nick and almost immediately goes into the light, he demonstrates his readiness to move on and reminds readers that Everlost is merely a stopping point on the larger journey to a final, unknown destination.

Mary Hightower is 15 and wears an emerald green velvet dress with lace cuffs and a tight lace collar. She sees herself as a mother figure to hundreds of Afterlights in New York and wants to extend her reach to other cities. Mary is beautiful, elegant, and graceful, and she controls her emotions except when she talks to Allie, who is the first Afterlight to challenge her authority. Mary has been in Everlost for over 100 years and sees herself as “the very first who dared to ascend” (36). With this idea firmly in place as her own “origin story,” Mary feels she is a natural leader to the Afterlights simply because she chose to climb and live in one of the Twin Towers. She then fills the Towers with the Afterlights who follow her, building her own world where she is in control and has all the power. Mary justifies that power by writing numerous books about Everlost under the guise of teaching and helping Afterlights. However, she intentionally distorts or omits information to manipulate the Afterlights into trusting her and not discovering that they have the innate power to leave Everlost whenever they choose.

Mary Hightower’s real name is Megan McGill, and she is Mikey McGill’s sister. Together, they constitute the two antagonists in the story. Mary is the primary antagonist because Mikey ultimately changes his behavior and redeems himself, but Mary does not and continues to hold Afterlights in Everlost. Ironically, she shows genuine care and concern for her Afterlights who go astray and can sometimes seem patient and kind, and this kind side of her character makes it difficult to see her as genuinely evil. While she keeps Afterlights in Everlost and hides the truth from them, she appears to do so out of concern for them. However, Mary’s own inability to move into the afterlife makes her want to protect others from doing the same, which hurts them more than helps them. Thus, Mary is misguided in her assumptions about Everlost being a final destination, and she allows these assumptions and her own weaknesses to hold many others back from their own spiritual paths.