Helen Adams

Helen Adams is the main character in Tatjana Soli's "The Lotus Eaters." Helen is a naïve girl that arrives in Vietnam from her home in California. Helen's interest in the war began with her father's experiences in Korea and then her brother's death while serving with the Marines. Helen decides that she wants to become a combat photographer and eventually lands a job with Life Magazine. Helen meets the experienced and worldly Sam Darrow, a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist not known for his soft fuzzy side. Darrow takes Helen under his wing and teaches her the ins and outs of her new job.

Helen is excruciatingly naïve when she arrives in Vietnam. She thinks she loves Darrow almost immediately but then realizes that there are some relationships formed during war that are merely convenient or necessary for human survival.

Throughout the story, Helen wars with...