Uncle Q Character Analysis

Uncle Q is Dray’s biological uncle, but Kasim explains that he’s also a paternal figure to many kids in the neighborhood. Uncle Q was there for these children and teens when no one else was, and he made a point to help out struggling single mothers (like Kasim’s mother and Matant Jo) when they found themselves raising children alone. But Uncle Q isn’t just a benevolent father figure—he’s also a high-powered drug dealer, in addition to being involved in a number of other ventures, such as Matant Jo’s loan sharking. He runs his operation out of the Q club and has little sympathy for his various dealers when things go south. For instance, when Chantal, Pri, and Donna aren’t able to make their payment to Uncle Q on time, Fabiola notices her cousins acting very afraid to go out, as though they expect to run into Uncle Q or one of his cronies and suffer retribution of some sort. Though Uncle Q only appears in person once in the novel, he looms large as a villain in Fabiola’s mind once she figures out who he is.