The Unmaking of June Farrow

June is the protagonist and title character of The Unmaking of June Farrow and the first-person narrator of the novel. June initially describes herself as the “last living Farrow on earth” when the novel opens with Margaret’s funeral (3). Young  highlights June’s tendency to think of herself in relation to her family members and to the matrilineal curse. Similarly, she thinks of herself in reference to how citizens of Jasper see her based on her mother’s apparent abandonment: “[T]o the town of Jasper, I was first known as the Market Street Baby” (3). While June eventually learns that Susanna sent her through the door to protect her from Nathaniel, being left informs her identity. She seeks answers about her mother desperately, her search for truth sending her through the door and into the past.

June’s identity as a mother is a key element of her character. After being left by Susanna, June struggles with the fact that she seems to have abandoned Annie. She feels sickened that she did, even when she learns that she did it to save her from the family curse. At the beginning of the novel, June views having children as a “weak” choice.