Joss (Josephine) Moody
Joss Moody is a mixed-race trumpet player who dedicates his entire life to being a jazz musician. Joss was born Josephine Moody, but discovered at a young age that he wanted to present himself and live life as a man. He keeps this a secret from everyone except Millie, with whom he shares a deep and abiding love. He is a very intense and passionate man, extremely dedicated to his music, and a strict but loving father to his son Colman. The reader is only able to perceive Joss's identity through the words of others, and he is both alive and vibrant as well as enigmatic. After he dies he leaves his legacy—literal and emotional—to Colman, hoping that Colman will have learned to understand him.
Millie Moody
Millie is Joss’s wife, and has known about him being transgender since before they were married. She loves Joss for who is he, rather than basing love entirely on the restrictions of gender. She is utterly devastated when Joss dies, having nursed him through his final days. She must cope with all the questions and judgement that arise when the coroner discovers that Joss is biologically female, not male. Millie is perhaps the character for whom it is easiest to feel compassion, as it is evident she is truly heartbroken by Joss's death and the concomitant estrangement of her son.
Colman Moody
Colman Moody is Joss and Millie’s adopted son. Colman finds it especially hard to accept that his father was biologically female. He finds this out when he is thirty, and feels resentment towards Joss, whom he saw as always strict with him. As a child, Colman was naughty and difficult to deal with, and as an adult he still exhibits a child-like vulnerability. He is both confused by and angry with Joss, and tries to prove his own masculinity to himself and Sophie. He initially decides to cooperate with Sophie in telling Joss's story, but over time his love for his father trumps his anger and he pulls back on cooperation. At the end of the novel, bolstered by his visit with his grandmother, he reads his father's last letter to him and joins up with his mother in Torr.
Sophie Stones
Sophie Stones is a journalist hoping to make herself wealthy and famous with her imminent tell-all expose on Joss. She has a deep sense of inferiority compared to her sister and is always trying to prove herself. She is unconcerned with her subjects' feelings or even the truth, and reveals herself as very insecure and flawed. She begins to have feelings for Colman and seduces him, but this is not enough to prevent him from deciding his loyalty is to his father, not her. She most likely publishes her book on Joss, but Kay leaves that ultimately ambiguous.
Edith Moore
Edith is Joss’s mother, and she has not seen Joss—or Josephine, as she still knows her—for a long time. She is introduced when Colman goes to visit her for the first time, trying to procure some answers regarding his father's life. Edith is a fiery, independent older woman even though she lives in a retirement community full of gossiping people and a well-meaning but meddlesome warden. Colman finds her charming and hospitable, and feels bad that his father felt he could no longer go and see her. It is unclear whether or not Colman tells her all that he knows about Joss/Josephine.
The Doctor (Doctor Krishnamurty)
The doctor is a minor but pivotal character. Once Joss dies in their home, Millie calls the doctor to write a death certificate. The doctor examines the body, and is the first apart from Millie to find out Joss is biologically female. She crosses out "male" and puts "female" in bright, large letters.
The Registrar (Mohammad Nassar Sharif)
The registrar is one of the first people Millie comes into contact with after Joss’s death. He reads the doctor’s report, and also discovers that Joss is actually Josephine. He is a friendly and thoughtful man who understands the solemnity of signing the death certificate, but he still puts that Joss was a woman even though Millie calmly requests that he not.
The Funeral Director (Albert Holding)
The funeral director prepares Joss’s body for burial. When he undresses Joss, he is expecting male genitals and is shocked when he discovers that Joss was biologically a woman. Holding is also pivotal in Colman’s side of the story, as he is the one who tells him his father's "true" sex.
Big Red McCall
Big Red McCall is a broad, tough man who used to play the drums while Joss played the trumpet. Despite looking tough, Big Red is extremely gentle and understanding. The discovery that Joss was a woman makes no difference to Big Red, and he focuses on Joss’s passion and talent as a musician and does not really cooperate with Sophie.
The Cleaner (Maggie)
Maggie used to be the Moody housekeeper. She is portrayed as a lovely and well-meaning woman, and praises all the Moodys highly. When she is approached by Sophie Stones, she is unsure what to say but is the one who lets it slip that Joss's mother is still alive. She is unbothered by the fact that Joss was a woman, and comes to regret that she "betrayed" Joss and Millie by talking to Sophie.
Mrs. Dalsasso
A kindly woman who lives in Torr and works at the cafe. Her thoughtful inquiries about Joss help Millie to feel like "an ordinary widow."
Sammy
Colman's childhood friend of whom he was somewhat jealous because of his conventional life and parents.
Bruce Savage
The Torr butcher.
Jean
The kind woman who works at the fruit and vegetable stand in Torr and makes Millie feel better about things due to her soft demeanor.
Mr. Barton Todd
The Torr locksmith.
Melanie
The first girlfriend Colman brings home. He likes her quite a bit but is disconcerted that his father takes an interest in her by encouraging her trumpet playing. Colman jealously dumps her after she tells him she thought Joss was attractive and gentle.
John Moore
Edith Moore's husband and Joss Moody's father. John had very dark skin, which Edith knew shocked other people since she herself was white. In his letter to his son Joss explains that John came over from Africa to Scotland, where he first became a servant and then worked on his own as a house painter. Joss sees John's story as typical of the people who experienced the African diaspora.
The Old School Friend (May Hart)
May was friends with Josephine when they were young girls. She loved Josephine deeply and felt that they had a very deep bond. While she agrees to talk to Sophie, she eventually regrets it. It is implied that perhaps she had a crush on Josephine when she was younger.
