The Spellshop

Kiela is the protagonist of The Spellshop. She undergoes a complex internal journey from being a solitary, anxious woman to becoming an open-hearted and loving part of a community. There are cues throughout the novel in which Kiela exhibits signs of neurodivergence: namely, her discomfort in crowded areas, her misunderstandings of everyday conversations, and her slight aversion to touch. Due to these traits, becoming a librarian is her ideal goal. Prior to the start of the novel, Kiela lived in the library, having her needs tended by service staff and able to co-exist with her colleagues at a respectable distance. Her only friend during this time was Caz, who may have seemed less threatening because he wasn’t strictly a person. In lieu of meaningful personal connections, Kiela devoted herself to her work and her charge: taking care of the priceless books. This limited worldview means that she wasn’t prepared for the uprising that the revolutionaries brought to her home. When the novel begins, she is forced from a deeply ingrained comfort zone into the vast unknown. Unlike many refugees, however (including Radane), Kiela has the advantage of a safe home. This puts her in a position of relative privilege, although she never takes it for granted or abuses that privilege.