Kenny Potter
A curious student whose attention briefly restores George’s sense of possibility and desirability.
To test intellectual, social, and erotic boundaries in George’s company.
The book
Who they are in the book
Spoiler-freeKenny is a college student fascinated by George’s authority, difference, and classroom anger. His motives remain deliberately ambiguous rather than resolving into a confirmed romance.
How the book draws them
- AlertHe listens more closely than most of George’s students.
- IrreverentYouth gives him freedom to test the professor’s formality.
- CuriousHe follows George beyond the expected limits of class.
- AmbiguousAttraction, admiration, and experimentation remain intertwined.
- Generational contrastHis youth briefly counters George’s fear of invisibility.
- Not a cureThe night offers connection without becoming a new life.
Kenny returns to George’s home after the night swim, but no affair begins. He leaves a friendly note after George falls asleep.
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