A Little Life Characters

Citizen is one of Jude’s fellow clerks at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Jude is friendliest with Citizen and Rhodes, with whom he works on securities fraud cases. They remain friends after their clerkship ends and they move on to different jobs.

Rhodes is one of Jude’s fellow clerks at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Jude is friendliest with Rhodes and Citizen, with whom he works on securities fraud cases. They remain friends after their clerkship ends and they move on to different jobs.

Dr. Li is one of Jude’s math professors at MIT. He delivers a moving eulogy at Dr. Kashen’s funeral about “the axiom of zero,” a mathematical concept that explores the unprovability of nothingness. Dr. Li argues that in dying, Dr. Kashen “has proven the concept of zero.”

Brother Peter is one of the monks at the monastery in South Dakota where Jude grew up. He and the other monks physically, sexually, and emotionally abused Jude, instilling in Jude a sense of internalized shame and worthlessness that he carries with him for the rest of his life.

Brother Michael is one of the monks at the monastery in South Dakota where Jude grew up. He and the other monks physically, sexually, and emotionally abused Jude, instilling in Jude a sense of internalized shame and worthlessness that he carries with him for the rest of his life.

Brother Pavel is one of the monks at the monastery in South Dakota where Jude grew up. He and the other monks physically, sexually, and emotionally abused Jude, instilling in him a sense of internalized shame and worthlessness that he carries with him for the rest of his life.

Annika is one of JB’s coworkers at the arts magazine in SoHo where he works before his career takes off. At the beginning of the novel, Annika leases her aunt’s vacant apartment on Lispenard Street to Willem and Jude.

Mr. Baker is young Felix’s father; Jude tutors Felix for a time. Mr. Baker is very wealthy and has little time to understand his son or help him through his problems.

JB’s father is a Haitian immigrant; he died when JB was three. JB didn’t know his father well enough to miss him.

JB’s aunt is a detective. She took JB to the Museum of Modern Art when he was young, and this began his lifelong passion for art and inspired career as a painter. JB’s aunt, like the rest of JB’s family, has always believed in him and his art.

Black Henry Young is a friend that Jude, Willem, Malcolm, and JB have in common. They call him Black Henry Young to differentiate him from Asian Henry Young.

Asian Henry Young is a friend that Jude, Willem, Malcolm, and JB have in common. They call him Asian Henry Young to differentiate him from Black Henry Young.

Giles is a therapist JB starts seeing (at his family’s insistence) after his family holds an intervention over JB’s drug use.

Linus is the doctor Andy selects to replace him when he retires from his practice. Jude appreciates Linus’s matter-of-fact approach, but he knows that he’ll never feel comfortable removing his clothes or sharing his history with any doctor besides Andy.

Harold’s father was a doctor who died not long before Harold first meets Jude. Harold was close with his father, but the shame Harold felt about his failure to save Jacob in the final year of Jacob’s life makes it hard for Harold to face his father.

Adele was Harold’s father’s office manager. She married Harold’s father after Harold’s mother’s death and loved Harold as her own child. Harold, in turn, loved Adele and saw her as his mother. Adele died not long before Harold first meets Jude.

Rodger is one of the cruelest counselors at the boys’ home in Philadelphia where Jude lives after the police take him away from Brother Luke. Once, when Jude (unsuccessfully) tries to run away, Rodger beats Jude so hard his nose bleeds.

Colin is one of the counselors at the boys’ home where Jude lives after the police take him away from Brother Luke. Jude runs away from the home one night after Colin sexually assaults him in the barn.

The Douglasses are an evangelical Lutheran family that fosters Jude and two other disabled children, Agnes and Rosie, as Jude recovers from Dr. Traylor’s attack.

Alex is Rhodes’s wife. She works for Rothko, the fashion label at which Caleb is the new CEO. This is how Caleb comes to attend Rhodes and Alex’s dinner party, which where he and Jude meet.

Tomasz is a new boyfriend JB starts seeing sometime after Willem’s and Jude’s deaths. Harold likes Tomasz and thinks Willem and Jude would have liked him, too.

India is Richard’s wife. She’s an artist, too.

Ali is an artist with whom JB shares studio space at the beginning of the novel.

Gillian is Laurence’s wife. She’s an English professor.

Jane is Andy Contractor’s wife.

Findlay is Willem’s boss at Ortolan, the upscale restaurant Willem works at as he struggles to get his acting career off the ground.

Merritt is Willem’s former roommate. He’s also an actor.

Mr. Ahmed is a driver Willem’s assistant hires for Jude when Jude suffers a serious of serious infections prior to his amputation surgery.

Patrizia is a nurse who cares for Jude when a series of serious infections require him to receive an IV drip after his release from the hospital.