Macon Leary
Macon Leary is the middle-aged protagonist of the novel. Throughout the story, Macon grapples with grief, love, and purpose after the death of his son Ethan and the falling apart of his 20-year marriage. Macon is a writer of travel guides—ironic, considering he despises traveling and anything that brings him away from his highly regimented routine. Due to a tumultuous childhood, Macon is a lover of order, and thus the tragic loss of his loved ones shakes him up quite drastically. No longer does Macon feel in control of his life, which is why he descents into a slew of peculiar habits and rituals that only further alienate him from the outside world. It is not until he strikes up an unlikely relationship with a younger woman that Macon seems to start coming out of his self-imposed isolation and take a more active role in his life once again.
Macon frequently struggles with social interaction. On one hand, he is deeply sensitive and observant of the people around him, noticing many poignant details about the strangers he encounters, whether on plane rides or city streets. Yet when face-to-face with another, Macon is often at a loss for words, having a hard time communicating from behind the mask of indifference he has adopted. We see as the story develops, though, that Macon's inability to express himself derives less from a lack of care and more from a habitual fear of opening up emotionally to others.
Sarah
Sarah is Macon's wife and best friend of over 20 years. They are each others' first loves, having come together when they were teenagers. In many ways, Sarah is the perfect match for Macon, harboring a similar sense of upper-class values and a tolerance for his eccentricities. However, after the death of their son, Sarah loses patience with Macon, desiring a partner who can provide her with the warmth and emotional comfort she desperately seeks. This is what ultimately leads her to ask for a divorce. It is not until she finds out that Macon has entered into a serious relationship with another woman that she comes back to Macon and asks to reconcile. Throughout the book, Sarah represents the known: she is easy for Macon to love and co-exist with, yet at the same time, their partnership seems to lock both characters into a sort of comfort that blocks them from true growth.
Rose
Rose is the sister of Macon Leary. She is similar to Macon in her eccentricity and love of domestic ritual, as seen in her placing the groceries in alphabetical order and meticulously cooking for her adult siblings. Macon lives with Rose for a while after he breaks his leg. Rose ends up meeting and falling in love with Macon's boss, Julian, subsequently moving out of their old family house to live with her new beau. However, Rose, like Macon, requires a sense of structure, and thus temporarily separates from Julian until she is offered a position as his secretary and is made to feel useful again.
Julian
Julian is Macon's boss and the publisher of his travel guide series. They initially meet after Julian reads an amateur column Macon has written for the local paper. For many years, their connection has been mostly professional and cordial, but this changes when Julian begins to take interest in Macon's sister, Rose. At first, Macon is somewhat protective of his sister and suspicious that someone like Julian—who is much younger, more carefree, and interested in superficial pursuits like sailing—could be the right match for Rose. Slowly, however, Julian proves himself to be a reliable partner, eventually proposing to Rose and moving in with her. Julian is also a relatively kind and patient boss for Macon, showing much understanding when Macon fails to meet his deadline in his time of grief.
Muriel Pritchett
Muriel is initially encountered by Macon when he drops off his dog Edward at the Meow-Bow Animal Hospital where she works. Muriel volunteers to train Edward, and Macon, desperate to find a solution to the unruly Edward, agrees. From the get-go, Muriel is an open book, using their dog training sessions as an opportunity to unveil her life story and hint at her romantic interest in Macon. It is not until Macon has a sexual dream about Muriel that he starts to reciprocate the sentiment. Muriel is quite pushy when it comes to pursuing Macon and she eventually gets her way, with the two beginning to seriously date and eventually living together. Throughout the book, Macon is torn between fully committing to Muriel or going back to Sarah.
In many ways, Muriel stands as the stark opposite to Macon's controlled and closed-off character. She is extremely forward in her interactions, emotionally open, and focused on the trivial aspects of life. She is much younger than Macon and comes from a different class background, hailing from a rough neighborhood of Baltimore. She lives in a messy, chaotic way, showing little parental authority towards her 7-year-old son, Alexander. Yet it is this contrast that somehow pulls Macon in and helps him to heal from his grief, making him realize that there is more to life than routine and control.
Alexander
Alexander is the 7-year-old son of Muriel. His father, Norman, has been mostly absent in his life. For that reason, Muriel is often looking for men who can fulfill a fatherly role for her son, such as Macon. Alexander is a sickly boy with many allergies and a type of meekness that often makes him the victim of bullying. When Macon moves into the Pritchett household, he attempts to guide Alexander away from Muriel's belittling influence to become more confident and independent.
Ethan
Ethan Leary is a character that is not in the present tense of the novel yet colors many of the events that take place. He is the 12-year-old son of Macon and Sarah who is murdered at a fast-food restaurant while away at sleep-away camp. His sudden and tragic death leads to the breakup of his parents and their very long and difficult period of mourning. His murder drains hope from his family members, who become more cynical about the world and the evilness of the people in it.
Edward
Edward is Macon Leary's pet dog. During the story, Edward causes much trouble for Macon, frequently acting out by biting neighbors or trying to attack his siblings. This leads to Macon hiring Muriel as Edward's trainer. Symbolically, Edward can be seen to represent Macon's unconscious nature: the emotional and instinctual tendencies that he has suppressed in favor of presenting a tightly controlled image to the world. Through the process of training Edward, Macon simultaneously learns to tame his own inner doubts and fears that have been controlling his life.
Alicia
Alicia is the mother of the Leary children. She is mostly present in the story through Macon's reminiscing about his childhood. She is painted as a very unstable character that often moves houses and changes partners, despite the negative effect it has on her children. Eventually, she surrenders her role as mother altogether and leaves the kids to live with their grandparents. As an adult, Macon hardly has contact with Alicia, finding it hard to relate to her. Alicia often characterizes Macon and his siblings as being stodgy like their father, whom we never meet in the novel. She does make an appearance at Rose's wedding, where Macon realizes that his flighty and superficial mother somewhat bears a resemblance to Muriel.
Charles and Porter
Charles and Porter Leary are brothers of Macon. They have both been divorced and have wound up living again in their former grandparents' house with their sister Rose. These men, despite being in their 40s, are depicted as somewhat immature and helpless. When Rose moves out of their house to live with her new husband, the brothers can barely take care of themselves, having become accustomed to being served by their sister.
