KOTLC Character Analysis: Tam Song

June 04, 2019

KOTLC Character Analysis: Tam Song

In this Character Analysis Series, I'll be analyzing the characters of my favorite book series: Keeper of the Lost Cities! We'll look at traits they possess, and how we can learn from them. All the characters mentioned below are created by and belong to Shannon Messenger, the author. This post is about Tam Song.

WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Tam Song is one of the newer members of the gang. He is a Shade, and has a twin sister named Linh, over whom he is very over-protective.

Tam usually comes off as the salty, rebellious, emo kid of the group, giving us fams a freeway to heaven. Underneath the tough exterior, though, Tam can be a quite caring person.

For starters, he is an amazing brother. His sister Linh got banished from the Lost Cities, and he didn't want her to go through that alone, so he banished himself too just to stay with her. Tam cares deeply for those he loves and trusts, and there is no better example of this than the way he is to Linh. At the end of Flashback, he joins the Neverseen just to keep her safe. Tam shows us that there are no limits to what you would do for a loved one. He may not be a cuddly person on the outside, but when it comes to Linh, he would do anything.

Tam also doesn't trust others easily. He isn't willing to open up to just anyone, and will only begin to acknowledge the said person if he gets a reading of their shadowvapor. This distrust is partially because of the discrimination he and Linh faced as children. Twins are heavily biased in the Elvin world; even his own parents tried to cover to the fact they were a multiple birth! We can take from him that we shouldn't always be quick to judge a person, good or bad.

Tam is also never afraid to stand up for what he thinks is right. After they were banished, he melted his registry pendant and coated his bangs with the silver, symbolizing his defiance. He always refused to play along when his parents tried to hide the truth about him being a twin. Even when offered the perfect lifestyle of being an only child, he still chose to go with his sister, and often refuses to be identified by his last name Song. Tam teaches us to always stand up for what is right, no matter how difficult it may be.

From his jagged bangs to his edgy personality, Tam is most definitely a fan-favorite. And though his decision at the end of Flashback broke our hearts, we still know he will always step up to the right thing in a time of need.