Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up... in Gatlin, “South Carolina’s least-famous middle-of-nowhere.” There are 12 churches, one library full of banned books, no Starbucks, and a movie theater that only shows films that the rest of the country already has on DVD.
Living... still stuck in Gatlin. That’s been even more difficult since his mom died in a car accident last year and his father fell into a deep depression. Luckily, family friend Amarie “Amma” Treadeau is there to look after him.
Profession... high school student. Ethan is about to start his junior year and as he puts it, “insanity is evitable.” His focus is on getting through high school so he can go to college and get out of Gatlin, which is what his mother always wanted for him.
Interests... reading banned books by Kurt Vonnegut and Charles Bukowski, listening to Bob Dylan, and dreaming about leaving Gatlin.
Relationship Status... in love with a woman he’s never met. Every night Ethan has an intense dream about a mysterious and beautiful young woman. Strangely enough, however, the school’s newest student Lena Duchannes seems just like Ethan’s dream girl. And Ethan is instantly enthralled by Lena’s prickly personality.
Challenge... helping Lena face “the claiming.” Like all female Casters, on her 16th birthday Lena’s powers will be claimed by either the dark or the light. She believes she’s powerless to control her destiny, but as he gets pulled deeper and deeper into the world of Casters, Ethan becomes determined to help Lena any way he can. As he explains to her, “I know there's no way we're gonna figure this out unless you stop feelin' so damn sorry for yourself!”
Personality... an old soul at odds with the Southern world around him. Gatlin is a place full of judgment. Its people are deeply religious and deeply territorial. But Ethan takes a wider view of the world. As he tells the mean kids at school, “I'm just sick of people in this town putting down someone they just don't know.” He’s sensitive, artistic, and open-minded. But he’s also a Southern charmer with a bashful charisma. That makes it easy for him to fit in even when he doesn’t feel comfortable.
Get to Know him in...
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Ethan Wate just wants to get to know Lena Duchannes better, but unbeknownst to him, Lena has strange powers. As Lena's 16th birthday approaches she might decide her fate, to be good or evil. A choice which will impact her relationship forever.
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There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere. At least, that's what I thought. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a curse. There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave. Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
