Lizzie Benson

Lizzie is a middle-aged woman who is notably observant, intelligent, empathetic, and anxious. Though she once had dreams of obtaining a college degree, Lizzie dropped out of school before that dream could be realized. However, thanks to Sylvia, her former university mentor, she was nonetheless able to land a job as a librarian. While at work she is a librarian, at home she is both a wife and a mother. Lizzie lives with her husband Ben and pre-school aged son Eli, and they live as a relatively healthy and happy family. Unfortunately, it is Lizzie’s relationship with her drug-addicted brother, Henry, that puts a strain on both her own wellbeing and the overall happiness of her family.

Because Lizzie is such an empathetic character and therefore prone to pick up on others’ negative feelings, she often finds herself weighed down by other people’s burdens. Thus...