Kotku

Kotku—a nickname Boris gave her, meaning "kitty cat" in Polish—is a girl from Clark County, Nevada, who attends the same high school as Boris and Theo. She is a grade ahead of them but is placed in Remedial Civics, a class for students who struggle academically. Despite being only eighteen, she appears much older, with a sharp, triangular face, chipped black fingernail polish, and a hard, knowing look. She is tiny, flat-chested, and scrawny-hipped, weighing only about eighty-one pounds, and her appearance is marked by a pierced nose and streaked orange-and-black hair. Her real name is something like Kylie or Kaylee, but Boris insists on calling her Kotku, a name that eventually sticks even with teachers at school.

Life and Background

Kotku's life has been marked by hardship and trauma. She has lived on the street, sleeping in doorways and begging for change, and has engaged in survival sex work. This period of homelessness was triggered by a boyfriend of her mother's who abused her. She dropped out of school for a time but later returned, trying to finish her education despite the stigma. Her mother is rumored to be a prostitute, and Kotku herself has a reputation at school for being promiscuous, though this is complicated by her traumatic past. She lives with her mother at the Double R Apartments, a dilapidated motor court on the highway between the airport and the Strip, a place known for its transient population and drug activity. The apartment is so run-down that the swimming pool is empty and the courtyard is filled with men arguing over motorcycle parts.

Relationship with Boris

Boris falls for Kotku hard and fast, declaring his love for her after buying weed from her in Civics class. He is captivated by her "scrawny, needy adultness" and her "slinky alley-cat body." Their relationship quickly becomes intense and volatile. They bicker constantly over small sums of money and Boris becomes intensely jealous, tracking her schedule and suspecting her of flirting with other boys, particularly a rich stoner named Tyler Olowska. Despite the fighting, they are physically inseparable, and Boris often stays over at her apartment. The relationship is also marked by drug use; they drop acid together, and Boris describes a night where they felt "made out of the same stuff as the flowers." However, the violence in their relationship escalates. After a fight, Kotku appears at school with a fat lip, which Boris admits to giving her, claiming she "made him" do it. He later feels guilty about this, but the pattern of jealousy and aggression continues.

Role in the Narrative

Kotku's arrival marks a significant shift in the dynamic between Boris and Theo. Boris becomes increasingly unavailable, spending all his time with Kotku and talking about her constantly. Theo feels abandoned and lonely, missing the easy camaraderie they once shared. Kotku, for her part, does not like Theo, thinking he is spoiled and hasn't suffered as much as she and Boris have. She is dismissive and sometimes hostile toward him. Despite this, she plays a crucial role in the theft of the painting. When Boris decides to switch the painting with a fake, he enlists Kotku's help. She uses her shop class to help him create the decoy workbook that replaces the painting in Theo's locker. This act, though she doesn't know the full significance, makes her an unwitting accomplice in the central crime of the novel. After Theo leaves Las Vegas, Boris stays with Kotku for a time, but their relationship eventually falls apart, and he loses touch with her. Kotku remains a symbol of the harsh, desperate world of Las Vegas that both Boris and Theo are trying to escape, and her presence in the story underscores the themes of poverty, trauma, and the search for connection in a broken environment.