Liam

Liam is a figure from Alex Claremont-Diaz's past in Texas, a high school best friend whose significance in the novel lies less in his own actions than in what his history with Alex reveals about Alex's long-suppressed sexuality. He is described as tall, broad-shouldered, sweet-faced, and scruffy, with a Texas drawl that Alex finds unmistakable and warm. Their friendship dates back to their teenage years, when they shared an intimacy that Alex, at the time, refused to interpret as anything other than the behavior of horny teenage best friends.

Identity and Background

Liam's defining characteristic in the narrative is his role as Alex's high school confidant and the object of Alex's earliest, unacknowledged homoerotic experiences. Alex recalls that during his senior year, he got drunk and made out with Liam in Liam's twin bed for an hour, and that he did not have a sexual crisis about it at the time. To Alex, the absence of fear or anxiety in that encounter seemed to prove he was straight; he reasoned that if he were into guys, being with one would have felt scary, but it did not. Their intimacy extended further, including moments when they would get off at the same time watching porn in Liam's bedroom, and one specific occasion when Liam reached over to finish Alex off and Alex did not stop him. These memories surface years later as Alex, now in his early twenties, begins to question his sexuality, and they become central evidence in his internal debate about whether his teenage urges meant anything.

The Phone Call and Alex's Sexual Awakening

Liam's most significant appearance in the novel is a phone call he receives from Alex, who reaches out after at least a year of silence between them. Alex, in the midst of a sexual crisis, decides to go back to the source and ask someone who has seen whatever is in his eyes when a boy touches him. Henry is out of the question, which leaves Liam as the only person who can speak to Alex's past. When Liam answers, his Texas drawl is immediately recognizable, and he greets Alex with a dry, knowing "I know," before Alex has even identified himself. Liam listens as Alex struggles to articulate his confusion, but he refuses to answer the question for him, telling Alex that he cannot do that. Instead, Liam offers a frank and generous perspective: he tells Alex that he does not know what kind of sexual crisis Alex is having four years after it would have been useful, but that he can say he himself is gay, and that even though he acted like what they did in high school was not gay back then, it super was. He asks if that helps, adding that his Bloody Mary has arrived and he needs to talk to it about the phone call. Alex, reassured, thanks him, and the call ends with Liam's simple "You're welcome." This exchange is pivotal: Liam's honesty about his own identity and his refusal to let Alex hide behind the fiction that their shared past was meaningless gives Alex permission to acknowledge his own feelings.

Reunion at the Election Night Party

Liam reappears in person at the Claremont campaign's election night party in Austin, Texas, on November 3, 2020. Alex, caught up in the chaos and joy of his mother's victory, nearly knocks over an expensive cake and immediately reaches for napkins. A familiar whiskey-warm drawl warns him that if he knocks over another expensive cake, his mom is probably going to disinherit him. Alex turns to see Liam, almost the same as he remembers him—tall, broad-shouldered, sweet-faced, and scruffy. The sight of him triggers a moment of rueful self-awareness in Alex, who is struck by how mad he is that he has such a specific type of dude and never even noticed it for so long. Alex's delighted exclamation, "Oh my God, you came!" confirms that Liam's presence at this milestone moment matters deeply to him, and that their friendship has endured despite the years and the distance. Liam's appearance here, at the climax of the novel's political arc, ties his personal significance to Alex's larger journey of self-acceptance and belonging.

Relationships and Significance

Liam's relationship with Alex is defined by a combination of intimacy and distance. They were close enough in high school to share physical experiences that Alex later struggles to categorize, yet they drifted apart, with at least a year passing before Alex's crisis prompts him to call. Liam's role in the narrative is that of a mirror and a witness: he holds the truth of their shared past and, when Alex finally asks, he names it without judgment. His matter-of-fact admission that what they did "super was" gay, delivered with warmth and a touch of humor, cuts through Alex's years of rationalization. Liam's significance extends beyond his own scenes, however, because his memory haunts Alex's internal monologue. When Alex, on a run with his sister June, thinks back over his hormonal teens, he remembers fantasizing about a boy's hands on him, about hard jawlines and broad shoulders, and pulling his eyes off a teammate in the locker room—memories that circle back to Liam and the question of whether Alex wanted to look like other guys or wanted other guys. Liam's brief appearances thus anchor one of the novel's central threads: Alex's journey from denial to acceptance of his bisexuality. In a story crowded with princes, presidents, and palace intrigue, Liam stands as a reminder of Alex's ordinary, pre-fame past, and of the fact that the truth of who Alex is was always there, waiting to be acknowledged.