Lila

Lila is the protagonist in the novel. She is a middle-aged woman whose husband left her for a younger mother from their daughter’s school. She is overwhelmed for most of the novel. Her house is in a state of frequent disrepair; her oldest daughter is struggling but will not tell Lila why; her stepfather lives with them and is helpful but his order frequently illuminates the chaos in her own life, and her biological father worms his way into her home after many years of being away. One of Lila’s biggest problems is that she has so many people to care for and no one to care for her much. Bill does his best to help, but he cannot meet her emotional needs because he is emotionally closed off.

Lila wants a romantic relationship, and this also causes her stress. She is interested in Gabriel, but...