Henry Perowne
The protagonist of the novel, Henry is a middle-aged neurosurgeon living in Fitzroy Square. The novel follows him through the course of a single Saturday as he witnesses a plane crash, visits his family, plays squash, and has an unpleasant set of encounters with a thug with Huntington's disease. Henry is a talented neurosurgeon and a composed, collected, conservative person, and McEwan's description of his vacillating thoughts turns him into a sort of everyman character.
Baxter
Henry's first encounter with Baxter takes the form of a car accident, where Henry's car takes off the side mirror of Baxter's red BMW. He subsequently makes Henry's life difficult in several ways, beating him up and, later, breaking in and threatening his family. Baxter is a thug-like man suffering from the early stages of Huntington's Disease, a neurological condition that causes the brain to deteriorate. His mental problems combined with his volatile temper make him a worrisome enemy.
Rosalind Perowne
Henry's wife, Rosalind, is a kind, thoughtful lawyer whom Henry met as a patient while he was on rotation. She is described as being petite with large green eyes and freckles, and she is a faithful wife and mother.
Theo Perowne
Henry's son, Theo, is an aspiring blues musician and talented guitarist. He has dropped out of school and now plays with his band full-time, and even Henry has to admit that he's incredibly talented. Theo is still almost childish in certain ways, but he is growing into a man - his actions during the scene with Baxter at the end of the novel make his father realize that he's already become one.
Daisy Perowne
Daisy, Henry's daughter, is one of the novel's most colorful characters. She is a young, already-successful poet with a distinct French-chic style and a strong personality. Daisy takes a more liberal, anti-war stance on the upcoming war with Iraq, the source of a harsh argument with Henry. By the end of the novel, Henry finds out that Daisy is pregnant, having met an Italian boyfriend with whom she intends to live. John Grammaticus, Daisy's grandfather and Henry's father-in-law, has been a big influence on Daisy's literary development as well as her force of personality.
John Grammaticus
Rosalind's father, Grammaticus acts primarily as Theo's and Daisy's grandfather, helping to shape their lives by music (Theo) and poetry (Daisy). He is a moderately successful poet by trade, and his poetry has won several awards. His personality is rather assertive and a bit haughty, and he often takes the role of a critic when presented with Daisy's poetry. Despite this, he is strong in the face of danger, and his presence, while stressful to the family, is redemptive as well.
Jay Strauss
Jay, Henry's consultant anaesthetist, is a physically intimidating American with a manner that is reassuring to patients and a bluntness that is sometimes seen as disrespectful to the doctors. He plays a weekly game of squash with Henry, but they're both getting older. Despite his American bluntness, Strauss is a dependable ally in the operating room.
