Asher Lev

The narrator and main character, Asher is a Hasidic Jew. He opens the book explaining that he is notorious for creating something called the Brooklyn Crucifixion, and is about to tell his story. Asher is a devout and observant Hasidic Jew, heavily influenced by his community and especially by his devout father, Aryeh. He is obsessed with drawing and painting, becoming an artist against great odds. Asher is banished from his Hasidic community and from the lives of his parents after painting two crucifixions portraying his mother.

Rivkeh Lev

Asher’s mother, Rivkeh, is a loving and nurturing mother whose life is forever changed by the tragic death of her brother in a car accident when Asher is just a young boy. Although she is initially portrayed as emotionally fragile, Rivkeh recovers and earns several college degrees in Russian history, following in the footsteps of her dead...