Celine Watkins

Celine Watkins is the novel’s central character. She was born in France, and her family fled to the United States after the Nazis invaded in 1940. Her father was largely absent from her childhood after her parents divorced. At age 15, she became pregnant, and her mother forced her to give the baby away. Celine then became a private investigator, potentially motivated in part by a desire to locate her long-lost child. In the main narrative, she is about 70 years old. She is a renowned private investigator specializing in reuniting families. She lives in New York City and is married to a man named Pete. She used to be a heavy smoker and has been diagnosed with a potentially fatal lung disease.

After Gabriela Lamont asks Celine to locate Gabriela’s missing father Paul, Celine travels with Pete to Yellowstone National Park, the site of Paul’s disappearance...