Mina

Samina Pierce is one of the key characters in Layne Fargo’s psychological thriller, They Never Learn. She is better known to the other characters as Mina.

Mina is an independent-minded, intelligent bi woman who works as the head of the psychology department at Gorman University, alongside the novel’s protagonist, Scarlett Clark. 

Mina has an interesting relationship with her bisexuality. She is open about it, but at the same time, she lived a significant part of her life as a heterosexual woman. Scarlett becomes her chance to start again.

Their relationship follows a classic “enemies to lovers” plot. Mina flirts with Scarlett, while Scarlett is both fascinated and scared of her. Finally, when Mina has to choose between going to the police or supporting her friend and lover, she chooses Scarlett’s side. They survive an attack from Scarlett’s abusive boyfriend and move to London to start their own life together, standing up against violence toward women, while Mina works on statistical analysis of domestic abuse reports.

As bi representation, Mina is a refreshing character for young bi women with feminist ideas, as well as for bi women who were abused in relationships with men and later started dating women. She is not perfect, but she is brave, clever and unapologetically bi. She is also the opposite of the stereotype of light-headed bi people because of her seriousness and logic.