Motherless Brooklyn Characters

Lionel Essrog is the protagonist and narrator of Motherless Brooklyn. Lionel is an orphan who has Tourette’s syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by compulsive, repetitive physical movements and verbal vocalizations called tics. This has… read analysis of Lionel Essrog

Frank Minna is Lionel Essrog’s mentor, a “penny-ante hood” whom Lionel and the other Minna Men—Gilbert, Tony, and Danny—have nonetheless worshipped since Frank sought them out while they were still… read analysis of Frank Minna

Gerard Minna is Frank Minna’s older brother. Gerard is also known as Roshi Jerry to his students at the Yorkville Zendo (a Zen Buddhist study center) where he has been hiding out from the… read analysis of Gerard Minna/Roshi Jerry

Julia Minna is Frank Minna’s wife—and, later, his widow. Sultry, tempestuous, and mysterious, Julia Minna has, since her sudden appearance in Frank’s life over a decade ago, become a kind of lodestar for the… read analysis of Julia Minna

Tony Vermonte is one of the four Minna Men who work for Frank Minna as unlicensed, uncredentialed “detectives,” operating through a front called L&L, a faux car service. Tony, who has Italian heritage, enjoys Frank’s… read analysis of Tony Vermonte

Danny Fantl is one of the four Minna Men who work for Frank Minna as “detectives” and faux drivers at L&L, the car service Frank established long ago as a front for his unlicensed private… read analysis of Danny Fantl

Kimmery is a young, attractive twenty-something woman with dark hair and glasses who studies and works at the Yorkville Zendo (a Buddhist study and meditation center). Reeling from a recent breakup, Kimmery lives a relatively… read analysis of Kimmery

The giant, also referred to at times as the “pierogi monster” (due to his Polish roots) or the “kumquat eater,” is an impossibly large man whom Lionel estimates to be well over 300 pounds. The… read analysis of The Giant

The Fujisaki Corporation is a collective of characters: six Japanese businessman-cum-Zen-monks who have chosen to live part-time in America in order to operate within the lucrative trade of sea urchins, prized widely for their delectable… read analysis of The Fujisaki Corporation

Alphonso Matricardi and Leonardo Rockaforte, often referred to only as “The Clients,” are a pair of aging Italian mobsters who operate a sprawling criminal enterprise throughout Brooklyn and New Jersey. Out of a jointly-owned house… read analysis of Alphonso Matricardi and Leonardo Rockaforte/The Clients

Lucius Seminole is a Black detective working primarily in Southeast Brooklyn who finds himself entangled in the murder of Frank Minna after Frank dies at a hospital within Seminole’s jurisdiction. Seminole is highly suspicious of… read analysis of Lucius Seminole

Loomis is a police officer who works for the Sanitation Department. Though a useful connection for the Minna Men of L&L, Loomis is unfortunately often slow on the uptake and a bit of a bumbling… read analysis of Loomis

Ullman is a man who is never seen over the course of the novel, though his murder (which is concurrent with Frank Minna’s) is a significant red herring (or misleading clue) throughout much of… read analysis of Ullman

Pinched, Indistinct, Chunky, and Pimples are a crew of four decidedly unintimidating thugs who are hired to threaten and “scare” Lionel away from the Yorkville Zendo. Lionel eventually realizes that the four of them are… read analysis of Pinched, Indistinct, Chunky, and Pimples