Nelson, or “Nellie” is a 16-year-old laundry boy in post-WWI Vancouver who aspires to play hockey.
He changes his appearance to look like a girl in order to join the women’s team, as he was excluded from playing.
His late mother became a prostitute at 15 years old.
Tessa falls in love with Nelson once she finds out his real gender.
He gets slashed with a hockey stick in his private areas, running away to not get into legal trouble.
“Now that the Great War was over, jobs were scarce [...]” (Wang, We Two Alone 4).
“have got a problem, and if they’ve got a problem then I’ve got a problem.” (Wang, We Two Alone 6).
“After all, she hadn’t really kissed him, had she?” (Wang, We Two Alone 28).
“you’ll be finding your own way home.” (Wang, We Two Alone 37).