Beautiful Boy Characters

David is the author and narrator of Beautiful Boy; he’s Nic’s father. David writes Beautiful Boy to discuss the impact that Nic’s drug addiction had on his family, and to catalogue some of… read analysis of David Sheff

Nic is author David Sheff’s son. Beautiful Boy documents Nic’s slow slide into drug addiction in his teens and twenties and his many horrific incidents of relapse and subsequent recoveries. Nic’s story shows the… read analysis of Nic Sheff

Karen is David’s second wife, Nic’s stepmother, and Jasper and Daisy’s mother. Karen and David marry when Nic is seven years old. She is an artist, and she and Nic share a… read analysis of Karen Barbour

Vicki is David’s first wife and Nic’s mother. David and Vicki divorce when Nic is three years old, after David falls in love with a family friend. Vicki subsequently moves to Los Angeles… read analysis of Vicki

Daisy is David and Karen’s daughter and Nic and Jasper’s sister. Daisy is 14 years younger than Nic. She understands that her brother is ill but has a difficult time fully grasping what… read analysis of Daisy Sheff

Charles was David’s roommate in college at the University of Arizona. Charles was wealthy and led many exploits involving drugs during his time at school—exploits in which David frequently participated. Charles’s addiction led to… read analysis of Charles

London is a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA who studies brain scans of normal brains in contrast with those of meth users. She speaks with David about her research, which illustrates that… read analysis of Dr. Edythe London

Z. is one of Nic’s girlfriends whom he dates after dropping out of Hampshire College. Nic and Z. have a sporadic relationship, breaking up and getting back together again several times. Z. is also… read analysis of Z.

Randy is Nic’s AA sponsor when he moves to LA. Randy is 15 years sober and helps Nic stay sober and clean as well. The two of them often go on long bike rides… read analysis of Randy