How to Make Friends with the Dark

Content Warning: This section discusses themes of grief, parental loss, and trauma. It also mentions self-harm, suicide, and suicidal ideation, and it contains descriptions of substance abuse, addiction, and domestic violence.

Tiger is the protagonist and narrator of How to Make Friends With the Dark. She is 16 years old and the only child of her single mother. At the start of the novel, Tiger is introverted and sheltered. The only close relationships in her life are the ones with her mother, June, and her best friend, Cake. Her romantic relationship with Kai is a new development that quickly fizzles out after June’s death. Tiger doesn’t interact with anyone else at school. However, her social situation and behavior are also a result of June’s overprotectiveness. June prevents Tiger from exploring, socializing, and experiencing normal teenage things. This proves detrimental to Tiger after June’s death, as she is left with a minimal social network and is not used to interacting with or leaning on other people for support.

Despite this, Tiger is fierce and resilient, just like her nickname. While she is initially overwhelmed with grief, Tiger’s survival instinct kicks in, and she taps into her skills to get by, especially once Shayna arrives.