If I Stay

by

Gayle Forman

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Mia Hall

Mia Hall is the seventeen-year-old protagonist of If I Stay, and the novel is told from her point of view. A passionate and talented cello player from Oregon, Mia is likely Juilliard-bound after she… read analysis of Mia Hall

Adam Wilde

Adam is Mia’s boyfriend. He is one year older than Mia, and graduated from their high school the year prior. He continues to live in Mia’s town due to his role as guitarist in… read analysis of Adam Wilde

Kim Schein

Kim is Mia’s best friend. When they first met in middle school, Mia and Kim hated each other, mostly because teachers and other students assumed the two girls were already friends due to their… read analysis of Kim Schein

Kat Hall (Mom)

Kat is Mia’s Mom. Kat is strong, sassy, and fiercely protective of her family. She met Mia’s father in her early twenties, when they were both fans and members of the punk rock scene… read analysis of Kat Hall (Mom)

Denny Hall (Dad)

Denny is Mia’s Dad. He and Mia’s Mom married when they were twenty-three, and had Mia soon after. Teddy was born ten years later. Denny is a middle-school English teacher—though he played guitar and… read analysis of Denny Hall (Dad)
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Teddy Hall

Teddy is Mia’s eight-year-old younger brother. Mia was present at his birth, and she was the first person he every laid eyes on. Mia’s Mom jokes that Teddy “imprinted” on Mia, since Mia… read analysis of Teddy Hall

Gran

Gran is Dad’s mother. She and Mia’s grandfather, Gramps, live near Mia’s family, and are very involved in their lives. Gran is a perpetually positive person who loves to garden and believes… read analysis of Gran

Gramps

Gramps is Dad’s father. He is a man of few words, but supports and loves his son’s family and their involvement in music. He is sad when Mia’s Dad leaves his band, because Gramps… read analysis of Gramps

Nurse Ramirez

Nurse Ramirez is a young nurse who cares for Mia in the Portland hospital. She is sympathetic to Adam and Kim’s wishes to see Mia, and covertly helps them when they try to use… read analysis of Nurse Ramirez

Henry

Henry is one of Dad’s former band mates, and his best friend. Henry used to be a “drunk playboy,” but when he began dating Willow, a nurse, he changed his ways. While he… read analysis of Henry

Willow

Willow is a family friend of the Halls who is married to Henry, and together they have a baby daughter. Willow is a nurse at a hospital in the Oregon town where she and… read analysis of Willow

Mrs. Schein

Mrs. Schein is Kim’s mother. Though well-intentioned, she is often overbearing, and imposes strict restrictions on what Kim can wear and do. She initially doesn’t let Kim visit Mia’s house, due to the… read analysis of Mrs. Schein

Professor Christie

Professor Christie is Mia’s cello teacher. She is a professor of music at a local college, and a friend of Mia’s Dad. Though she is skeptical of young Mia’s abilities at first, after… read analysis of Professor Christie

Brooke Vega

Brooke Vega is the lead singer of a locally famous band called Bikini, which Shooting Star was planning to open for on the day of the accident. At Adam’s request, Brooke and her band… read analysis of Brooke Vega

Mr. Dunlap

The man who was driving the car that hit Mia's family's car. Mr. Dunlap survived the accident – which truly was an accident as he swerved because of snow on the road – but… read analysis of Mr. Dunlap

Great Aunt Glo

Mia's great aunt, and the sister of Gran. Great Aunt Glo died some years before the accident, and requested that her ashes be scattered in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. While Mia is in a… read analysis of Great Aunt Glo
Minor Characters
Peter Hellman
A friend of Mia's at the summer conservatory camp she attends in British Columbia. While still young, he dies of lymphoma.
Simon
A friend of Mia's at the summer conservatory camp she attends in British Columbia. He also plays cello, and they practice and "duel" together in friendly competition.
Kerry Gifford
A young man, active in the punk music scene in Mia's town, who died of a freak brain aneurysm while operating the sound board at a concert.