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Jen is Andy’s ex-girlfriend, and for much of the novel, Alderton only portrays her from Andy’s perspective. Andy sees Jen through the lenses of nostalgia and sadness. Even after they break up, she remains the focus of his emotional universe. He idealizes their past and treasures recollections of their shared experiences, like discovering a new snack or watching their favorite film. His internal monologue reveals the over-fantasized way he viewed her: “She was better than any new present I could remember—she was my Game Boy and Tracy Island and Magna Doodle combined.” (301-02). Through Andy’s emotional spiral, reliving of their favorite memories, obsessive viewing of their old photos and playlists, Andy characterizes Jen through his memories and paints their relationship as idyllic. However, he also views her as an antagonist for breaking up with him and he bemoans the qualities that he found annoying.

When the point of view shifts, and Jen is free to tell her side of the story, her character becomes fully humanized as she shares her raw emotions and reveals the most vulnerable parts of herself. Jen’s narrative provides the other side of the story and provides context for why she ended the relationship. Andy and Jen share an inability to express their desires openly, causing friction in their relationship. Through her narrative, Jen explains her first realization that being in a relationship with Andy wasn’t personally fulfilling for her when she claims, “I started to feel single” (421). Unwilling to carry the entire emotional burden of their relationship, Jen resolved that her life would be easier spent alone. She realizes that she is not the right partner for Andy for two key reasons. One involves her frustration with his lack of motivation and tendency towards self-absorption as she explains, “I don’t think I’m cut out to support a male artist” (431). Second, and most importantly, Jen can’t fulfill Andy’s dream of being a father. Jen’s narrative reveals her internal struggle, capturing the conflict between the weight of societal expectations and her aspirations, but this is a battle she never shared with Andy. Jen represents the modern woman who refuses to conform to traditional roles. She challenges the notion that a woman’s worth is tied solely to her role as a wife or mother. Her independence and determination to pursue her path force her to choose between staying in an unfulfilling relationship or embracing her decision to live an unconventional lifestyle and refusing to compromise her dreams for societal norms.

Avi is Andy’s best friend from university and Jane’s husband. Jane is Jen’s best friend, and together, the two couples form a close friendship as Andy and Jen become godparents to Avi and Jane’s kids, and they begin living adult life together. Avi represents Andy’s past and reminds him of the more carefree, wild days of their twenties, and though Andy is trapped in the past, Avi has moved on, holding down a secure job and growing his family. With their comfortable home full of familial chaos, Avi and Jane represent the stereotypical couple in their thirties and a constant reminder to Andy of what he doesn’t have. This friction highlights Andy’s struggles with Navigating Early Adulthood in the Modern World. While living with them after the breakup, the comfort of their domesticity pains him as he admits, “the truth is that I love their lives. I love this house and its colours and its clutter and its smells—warm laundry, kids’ bubble bath, just-cooked lasagne. I want a home like this one” (287). Throughout the breakup, Avi and Jane remain neutral as Jane still spends time with Jen but allows Andy to stay with them and holds space for his emotional turmoil. When he complains about what he sees as the injustice of her decision, Jane defends her friend’s right to choose who she’s with but also lends Andy a listening and empathetic ear.

Avi also exemplifies Andy and his friend’s lack of emotional intelligence. He schedules a night out at the pub but never asks Andy how he’s feeling. Overcome with gratitude for Andy’s birthday gift to Jackson, Avi can’t manage more than a slap on the back and a mumbled thank you as he holds back tears. As Andy spirals emotionally, he’s conscious of the stress he’s putting on his friendship as Avi bears the brunt of Andy’s irrational behavior: “Avi views his role in this breakup as the executor of a series of tasks and chores” (178). As a static character who remains unchanged throughout the story, Avi, despite struggling to express his emotions, is a source of support for Andy and remains a loyal friend during a turbulent time. His static characterization makes Andy’s character development more pronounced, as when he offers emotional support to their mutual friend, Jon.

After a failed attempt to live on a houseboat, Andy moves in with a 78-year-old pensioner named Morris. Aside from a shared interest in the Beatles, Andy and Morris have nothing in common. However, once Andy intentionally tries to get to know Morris, his unconventional living situation becomes ideal for his emotional health. Kooky and a bit abrasive, Morris lives life on his terms, preferring the comfort of his conspiracies and obsessive collections over venturing into the outside world. Andy bemoans how “[he] randomly shifts from telling me far too much to telling me absolutely nothing” (155). As the story progresses, Morris evolves from Andy’s cranky landlord to a father figure as he encourages Andy to take career risks and shares his own story of heartbreak and grief. Morris exemplifies Alderton’s exploration of age gaps throughout the novel, representing the “Boomer” generation who struggle to understand millennials and their choices. However, he and Andy’s relationship proves that two generations can find common ground as Morris challenges Andy to believe in himself. Andy offers patience and grace towards Morris’s eccentricities, evidenced by his creating the fake letter from Julian Assange. Morris also becomes the vehicle for the pandemic plotline to enter the story as he predicts that it’s coming and is the first character to mention it. Despite his conspiratorial beliefs and prickly persona, Morris and his home are a soft place for Andy to land when he feels that his world is ending.