Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… in New York with his two parents, Susannah and Adam, and a younger brother, Jeremiah. Their summers were spent together at their beach house in Cousins Beach, North Carolina, along with the Conklin family that always joined them. Laurel Conklin and Susannah are best friends, and they wanted their kids to be too.
Profession… soon to be college student. Conrad just graduated from high school with great grades. Although he could have received a football scholarship to Brown, he has decided to quit football altogether. This summer, he’s getting paid to give sailing advice to a writer, Cleveland Castillo.
Interests… smoking weed by the pool late at night and staring wistfully into the ocean. Although many people like Conrad and want to be around him, he tends to be a loner.
Relationship Status… involved with Nicole, who he had taken to the debutante ball last summer. Though Conrad is trying to come to terms with his feelings for someone else: Isabelle Conklin who goes by Belly. Belly and her parents have vacationed with his family every summer, and she’s always seemed like a sister to him. But this summer, he can’t take his eyes off her. As Conrad says, “I mean, we grew up together, so I’ve always thought of her as this little kid, but now, she’s not.”
Challenge… dealing with a secret. Conrad has found out something about his family that shakes him to his core. He hasn’t been the same since finding it out and doesn’t feel like doing much this summer. As the oldest son, he wants to try to keep things together, but there’s so much out of his control.
Personality… angsty, secretive, and caring. Conrad doesn’t open up easily, and he becomes defensive when this is pointed out. When Conrad is sweet to someone, he is enchantingly so. Just as the people he cares about are convinced that he has distanced himself in an irreparable way, he finds them again.
