Emma Neufeld

Emma Neufeld is the main protagonist of the novel. She is an American woman in her mid-thirties, and she is engaged to a man named Marcus. However, she has doubts about her engagement and wishes to end it. She works as an adjunct professor at a college in Pittsburgh, but her real passion is translating the works of Brazilian writer Beatriz Yagoda. She works closely with Beatriz on these translations, and when Beatriz is reported missing, Emma insists on flying to Brazil to look for her. While working with Marcus, Beatriz’s handsome son, to look for Beatriz, Emma finds herself quickly falling in love with Marcus. They have an affair, and Emma eventually breaks off her engagement to Miles. By the end of the novel, Emma decides to stay in Brazil after Beatriz’s death. Emma works at University in Rio de Janeiro.

Beatriz Yagoda

Although...