Felix Salinger

Felix Salinger is the main character and narrator of this novel. He is a young Polish Jew whose parents took him to an orphanage in the mountains to save him from the Nazis. Felix has been at the orphanage for three years and eight months when he finds a whole carrot in his soup. He believes the carrot is a sign that his parents are coming for him.

Felix has never been told the truth about the Nazis’ hate for the Jews so he is left on his own to make up stories about what he sees happening around him. He is very innocent and believes that people basically have a good heart. For instance, he believes that the soldier who shoots at him, intending to kill him, did not intend to fire his gun.

Because Felix’s parents were booksellers, Felix comes to the belief that...