Archibald Jones

Archie begins the novel by attempting to commit suicide in his car. However, Archie has parked his car in front of the loading dock for a butcher's and is asked to move. Archie sees this as a second chance at life and immediately sets out to find someone to share his second chance with. Archie happens on the remnants of a New Year's Eve party and meets Clara Bowden, a young Jamaican woman also looking for a new life. They marry quickly and settle into a comfortable life.

Archie is a man who does not make decisions easily, often forced to take advice from other people or to resort to flipping a coin in order to make important decisions, such as how to advise his friend on which child to send away or whether or not to kill a man. Archie has never made a difficult decision...