The Poet X

Xavier, Xiomara’s twin brother, is older than his twin sister by fifty minutes. He is physically smaller than Xiomara, and he has a peaceful nature, in contrast to his sister’s fiery personality. Xavier is also much more of a devout Catholic than his sister, which makes his sexuality a challenge for him at this stage in his life. Though Xiomara complains that Xavier has no “twin intuition” (100), Xavier is supportive of his sister and demonstrates love, generosity, and kindness towards her, especially when she is struggling with their parents. Xiomara calls Xavier “the worst Dominican” (98) because he does not like to dance and would “rather read / than watch baseball” (98). Xavier is unusually intelligent, and he goes to a school for gifted and talented students, where he meets Cody, who becomes his boyfriend and eventually breaks his heart. 

Mami is a devout Catholic from the Dominican Republic; as a child, she wanted to grow up to be a nun. Her parents insisted she marry Papi, Xiomara’s father, so that “she could travel to the States” (22). Her pregnancy with the twins was unexpected, and it happened after she and Papi had resigned themselves to being childless; the miraculous birth of Xiomara and Xavier contributes to Mami’s high expectations of her children thanks to the supposed religious significance of their existence. Mami commutes a long way to work hard as a cleaner, and she is a strict parent to Xiomara, but less so with Xavier. That she treats her children differently based on their gender contributes to the tension between her and Xiomara.

Papi is a charming ex-womanizer who loved to dance. He kept up his antics while married to Mami but reformed once his children were born. He now works for the Transit Authority and travels back to the Dominican Republic regularly. Xiomara feels that even though he lives at home and eats meals with his family, he “could be gone as anybody” (65). She resents his emotional absence and the fact that he and Mami only talk to one another when they are discussing the twins. At times, Papi shows himself to be supportive of his children, such as when he interferes with Mami’s attempt to burn Xiomara’s poetry notebook and celebrates with Xiomara after the poetry slam. Papi sometimes attends the family counseling sessions with Father Sean; on these occasions, Xiomara appreciates that he does stay and listen.

Father Sean, the head priest at La Consagrada Iglesia Catholic Church, has known Xiomara and her family for her whole life. He is originally from the West Indies and teaches youth Bible study and confirmation classes at the church. Because Father Sean appears to understand the challenges of being a young person, Xiomara does listen to him at times, despite her waning confidence in the guidelines put forth by the church. When Xiomara and Mami conflict, Father Sean looks for ways to support both of them; when Mami destroys Xiomara’s poetry, it is Father Sean that Xiomara goes to for help.

Aman is Xiomara’s biology lab partner and her first boyfriend. He is two inches shorter than Xiomara and though both of his parents are from Trinidad, he lives with only his father and speaks to his mother, who stayed in Trinidad, once a year on his birthday. Aman likes music and admires Xiomara’s writing and performance skills. He is a gentle and affectionate young man, and he truly cares about Xiomara. When he fails to show his support at a critical moment, he apologizes over and over to Xiomara, demonstrating humility and genuine concern. Aman’s nickname for Xiomara is X, and this nickname becomes both her stage name and the title of the novel.

Caridad is a good friend to both Xiomara and Xavier, and she is a thoughtful and graceful foil to Xiomara’s hot-headed character. Xiomara feels that Xavier and Caridad “are the ones / who act more like twins” (49), especially as the three friends have known each other their whole lives. Caridad finds it easy to live according to the rules of the church, unlike Xiomara, and she tries to help Xiomara whenever she can, lying to Mami to cover Xiomara and deflecting negative attention from Xiomara when there’s trouble brewing.

Isabelle is Xiomara’s straight-talking friend from poetry club. She is from the Bronx, and “she sounds / like a straight-up rapper” (257) when she performs her poetry for Ms. Galiano and the rest of the club. Isabelle’s “curly blond fro” (267) leads Xiomara to believe she is mixed race.

Ms. Galiano is Xiomara’s English teacher. She is young and small in stature but “carries herself big” (37). Ms. Galiano is perceptive and caring; she patiently draws Xiomara out of her shell, insisting on high standards of work and inviting Xiomara to the poetry club repeatedly, until Xiomara finally attends.