More than most Madison Smartt Bell novels, Waiting for the End of the World focuses upon the actions of a central protagonist — Clarence Dmitri Larkin, always referred to simply as Larkin. Other characters are significant primarily as their actions affect his struggle to conquer demons without and within. The most important of these are the young boy he calls Tommy; Hector Morales; and Arkady Zeraschev, whom Larkin describes as his Batiushka or spiritual elder. Although Bell creates vignettes of Larkin's fellow "terrorists," Simon Rohnstock and his cell are essentially foils for Larkin; in particular, their motives and behavior vividly contrast with those of Larkin. Other minor characters serve primarily to advance the plot.

Clarence Dmitri Larkin was born April 1, 1954, at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. The fact that he was an April Fool's baby seems to foreshadow the course of his entire life; the parts of...