Content Warning: The source material and this guide contain discussions of sexual and physical abuse, and incest.

Harley Altmyer is the protagonist of Back Roads. O’Dell said in an interview about Back Roads that she saw Harley as a hero who did the best he could with what he had. Harley is forced to grow up quickly after his father is shot and killed and his mother goes to prison. At the young age of 19, Harley is the sole custodian of his three younger sisters.

Harley spends a lot of time at the beginning of the novel reflecting on the physical abuse his father perpetrated against him and his sisters. This abuse offers a loose explanation for his mother’s decision to shoot his father, and Harley initially believes she killed him to protect her children. As the novel progresses, Harley stumbles on new truths about his childhood and the events surrounding his father’s death. Meanwhile, Harley’s sister Amber has grown into a sexual being and this bothers Harley to a degree that seems out of proportion to their hostile relationship. With each new conflict with Amber, Harley grows more obsessed with his own sexuality, and he begins clinging to the security of his father’s old hunting jacket.