Sophie Blind

Sophie Blind is the novel's protagonist, and its narrator for certain sections. Sophie is depicted from her childhood, through her adolescence, and into adulthood. In the unfolding of the narrative Sophie is depicted struggling with numerous obstacles. She has difficulty making sense of her life, and fitting its disjointed and heterogeneous stages into a coherent whole. This ultimately ends up being the task she sets herself in writing her novel. As an adult, Sophie struggles to find romantic fulfillment, while also remaining present in her children's lives while living apart from them, and while simultaneously working through her divorce with her husband.

The truth and reality of Sophie's experiences are often called into question, or undermined by dreams, illusions, and hallucinations. In some parts of the novel it is uncertain whether Sophie is alive or dead, as she narrates the circumstances of her death early in the...