Anton Shammas
Anton is the novel’s protagonist and primary narrator. He is an oddball in that he is a Roman Catholic of Arabic descent who grew up in Galilee then later moves to Israel; because of this, he is actually an Israeli citizen and identifies more readily with Jewish culture rather than Arabic or Catholic traditions. He is very imaginative and is obsessed with his family history, local legends, and how people are shaped by various events in history.This characteristic drives him to become a writer.
Michael Abyad
Michael Abyad is a Palestinian-American researcher and writer whom Anton believes to be a long-lost relative of his as well as the supposed “first Anton” his namesake. Michael is adopted by the wealthy Abyad family who then send him to America for his protection and to receive an education. He serves as an alter-ego of Anton the narrator in the novel.
Hanna Shammas
Anton’s biological father; a hardworking man dedicated to making sure that he is present and able to provide for his family to the best of his ability. He serves as Laylah Khoury’s escort when she is adopted by the Bitar Family.
Elaine Bitar Shammas
Elaine is Anton’s biological mother. Her clan hails from Lebanon. She becomes a French teacher in an all-girls’ school in Fassuta as a young woman later on.
Alia Shammas
Anton’s paternal grandmother. She is abandoned by her husband, Jubran, at the start of the first World War. She raises her six children by herself but not without great difficulty.
Laylah Khoury/Surayyah Sa'id
A mysterious blonde orphan girl adopted into a Lebanese family, the Bitars, her personal history draws Anton the narrator because he has a hunch that she has information about his mysterious namesake. Laylah later marries a Muslim, converts to Islam and changes her name to Surrayyah Sa’id.
