The Secret Battle of Evan Pao

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of emotional abuse, bullying, and racism.

Evan Pao is the 12-year-old protagonist and primary narrator in The Secret Battle of Evan Pao. A sixth grader at Battlefield Middle School in Haddington, Virginia, Evan faces numerous internal and external struggles. His defining characteristic is his profound empathy, heightened to the point where he can physically sense lies. While this ability gives him insight into the motivations of others, it also makes him vulnerable, leading others to view him as overly sensitive. Even his sister, Celeste, teasingly calls him “Mr. Sensitive.” However, Evan’s sensitivity and perceptiveness drive much of the novel’s emotional depth and his growth as a character.

Evan takes his father Michael’s abandonment particularly hard. He struggles with guilt, questioning why he did not detect his father’s dishonesty. This internal conflict becomes a recurring theme as Evan grapples with the complex emotions surrounding Michael’s departure. He reflects, “Can’t you be mad at someone and miss them?” (85), capturing the difficulty of reconciling anger with love. As his feelings overwhelm him, Evan admits, “It was too complicated to hold all these feelings inside” (125). Despite claiming he no longer cares about Michael, Evan’s ability to detect lies reveals the untruth of his statement.