The First to Die at the End

Valentino Prince moves to New York to become a model after his parents reject him for being gay. He is tall and “undeniably muscular with his broad shoulders, thick neck, and the kind of arms that guarantee him the win in any arm-wrestling match” (33). He has a twin sister named Scarlett who is set to join him in the city; however, because of Death-Cast causing flight delays, she does not make it before Valentino passes away. Neither sibling had planned on signing up for Death-Cast, having been raised in a religious home that made them skeptical of the service, even if they reject how their parents utilize their religion to make Valentino “feel like a stranger in [his] own home” and make it seem like their parents “had only one child” (17).

Scarlett had a near-death experience only two months before they were set to move to New York, and Valentino “was forced to imagine this nightmarish world without her shine” (18). He is constantly concerned about her driving and something happening to her on her way to New York, and it is also because of this near-death experience that Orion is able to convince Valentino to sign up for Death-Cast, as he recognizes that he would also want the opportunity to say goodbye to Scarlett and vice versa if one of them were to die soon. Unfortunately for him, he does receive a call from Death-Cast.

Valentino’s initial reticence about going to the Death-Cast party in Times Square shows that he often needs to be reminded to get out of his shell and meet people, especially when he does not know anyone. It is Scarlet who pushes him first, and then Orion does as well when Valentino’s modeling gig falls through, and he feels like “[his] wheel is spinning out of control and [he’s] about to crash into an iceberg and drown” (290). He even feels like “[e]verything bad is spreading about [him]” and that Orion should leave him alone. The other boy, however, pushes Valentino to take control of his life and get the photoshoot he wanted in New York, giving him back his agency and ability to live, even if he is going to die. He later passes this message to Orion by encouraging him to live every day like the End Day they spent together.

Valentino’s End Day illustrates that individuals can have a ripple effect long after their death, as Valentino has on Orion by giving him his heart. However, his interactions with Férnan and Rufus at the pawn shop also are clearly long-lasting, as he shares how “[his] parents weren’t great. It’d be nice to know that a father who loves his son is actually showing his son that he loves him” (304). Despite his parents’ decision to ignore him, Valentino values relationships between parents and their children and wants to see Férnan and Rufus have a different relationship than the one that he has with his family. They continue to think about this even after Valentino leaves their lives.

Dalma Young is Orion’s best friend and adoptive sister. Her mother was Orion’s mother’s best friend, and they have been close since they were young. Dalma takes on much of the responsibility for caring for Orion, but she keeps that burden from him, not wanting him to “know how it’s rare for an hour to pass where she’s not concerned that he’s having an attack and whether he’s battling it by himself” (249).

Dalma is at first upset with Orion for choosing to hang out with Valentino in the city rather than staying at the hospital where they can safely ensure that the transplant will go smoothly, feeling that “Orion chose the stranger over family” (249). However, she eventually comes around, accepting that Orion and Valentino both deserve to live their lives. A critical moment for Dalma comes when she calls Scarlett and delivers the official news of Valentino’s death and Orion’s successful operation. By convincing Scarlett to continue to move to New York City, she too is prioritizing Valentino and a stranger, and she extends the offer of family to Scarlett, telling her, “We don’t know each other, but Orion and Valentin showed me that doesn’t matter. If you come out here, you will never be alone. My family is your family” (526). She brings the stranger into her family.

Valentino and Orion’s relationship has a further effect on Dalma’s life, as she decides to call the app she wants to create the “Last Friend app,” believing that Deckers should always be able to have someone by their sides during their End Day so that they don’t have to die alone, which unknowingly addresses Scarlett’s fear of her brother dying alone. Like Orion ensured Valentino wasn’t alone, Dalma plans to create this tool so others can find comfort on their last day.

Joaquin Rosa is the founder of Death-Cast. His wife, Naya, and his son, Alano, are with him in New York City when Death-Cast starts its service. Joaquin himself makes the first Death-Cast call to Valentino.

Joaquin is set on ensuring that the company survives, believing its mission is “removing mystery from the equation of death” (86). He seems more concerned with the success of Death-Cast rather than the individuals he calls Deckers. He has refused to reveal the secrets behind the service to anyone besides the government, and many criticize his company for only calling to deliver the news without telling people how they will die. However, he is upset when several Deckers do not receive their call and works to rectify the issue as quickly as possible.

The novel does not explain exactly why or how Joaquin started Death-Cast, but it alludes to the “heartbreak and loss around the world, and within Joaquin’s own world” that cause him to start the company as part of “his life’s mission” (541). He believes that he must keep Death-Cast going, even if his wife wishes that their lives would go back to normal, and certainly, Death-Cast is viewed as successful within a week of its first calls.

Gloria Dario, who decides to go by her maiden name, Medina, at the end of the novel, lives in Valentino’s building with Frankie Dario and her son Paz “Pazito” Dario. Her husband is abusive toward her, but she has been reticent to leave him because of their son. She is described as a planner because “[p]lanning her life has always helped Gloria feel in control,” especially in the face of Frankie trying to control so much of her life (238). She signs up everyone in her family for Death-Cast so that she can have a plan, even though Frankie does not want her to do so.

By the end of the novel, Gloria decides to leave Frankie, and it is her announcement that she is divorcing him that leads Frankie to kill Valentino, who ultimately saves Gloria’s life by intervening in their fight. This moment is critical for Gloria because she is choosing to take complete control of her life by leaving Frankie and to find happiness for herself. It also helps to remove her son from the violence that he has regularly come to witness within their home, though she feels that she has done it too late since Paz ultimately ends up killing his father. Gloria’s decision to be independent is evident in her “reclaiming her maiden name, never taking another man’s” (528).