The Narrator

The narrator, who goes unnamed throughout the novel, is the story’s protagonist. He is a middle-aged man who works at a museum, lives alone, and attends therapy at his brother’s request. The narrator is largely capable of functioning in society but is unable to form beneficial relationships and holds a delusional obsession with protecting his adult brother Hanny. The narrator seems satisfied with his current life and expresses anger at Doctor Baxter, his therapist, for not accepting his delusions.

The story mainly focuses on the narrator’s teenage self in 1976. At that time, the narrator is heavily involved with the church and serves as an altar boy; he is also responsible for looking after Hanny, who is mute and disabled throughout the main narration. The narrator and Hanny have an extremely close fraternal bond and are able to communicate through a system of masks, objects...