Good Dirt

Content Warning: This section includes discussion of pregnancy loss, child death, graphic violence, and racism.

Ebby is the central protagonist and most frequent point-of-view character in the novel. As she recovers from the heartbreak of being left at the altar, losing a pregnancy, and making peace with her enduring grief over the loss of her brother, Baz, her character arc forms the backbone of the present-day plotline of the novel.

Ebby is the second child of Ed and Soh Freeman and is five years younger than Baz. She was a lively, curious child and loved to play games, especially hide-and-seek. Baz was her favorite playmate. When she witnessed his murder, Ebby felt her entire life defined by that moment, her identity summed up in the photograph of her traumatized 10-year-old self. In the 19 years since, Ebby has remained an object of interest to the media largely due to the tragedy that she suffered. She is described in one magazine article as “an elegant and reserved young woman,” and another remarks on her “effortless beauty” (24). Because of this public scrutiny, she feels like she isn’t allowed to be a real person, and she feels constrained by this definition of her by others.