Martha ("Total Cave Darkness")
Martha is a sexually uninhibited alcoholic who runs away with Reverend Dave in the first story of the collection, "Total Cave Darkness." Despite her mother's disapproval, she and the reverend go on a tour of a dark cave, where they find insight into the true nature of love.
Reverend Dave ("Total Cave Darkness")
Reverend Dave is a preacher in his early thirties with a notable disregard for morals and sexual ethics. He falls in love with Martha and takes her on a trip to a dark cave, where Martha learns that she might be able to love him back. His character is inherently ironic: he is a reverend, yet he acts in a manner that befits no Christian, let alone a leader in a church.
Rachel ("The Rightness of Things")
Rachel is a single mother with a single young daughter, Sofia. She is lonely, and she hooks up with her friend Mary's friend, Harry, after one sort-of date. After dropping her daughter's doll off at her ex-husband's place, she also sleeps with him. She finds out later that Harry was only using her and had gotten back together with his ex. Rachel also discovers that she's pregnant, although she's unsure whose baby it is.
Dora ("The Language of Sorrow")
Dora, despite being an elderly, absentminded grandmother, has characteristics and stories that bring her rebellious grandson Peter, whose girlfriend is having a baby, to respect her. She connects with Peter in a way that no one ever has by using her past experience and irreverent opinions.
Joelle ("Joelle's Mother")
Joelle is a haughty, aloof, spoiled girl who despises her Mexican half-sisters. She seems almost legendary in her beauty and dignity to them, but later they realize how different she is in reality: snooty, condescending, and rude.
Jennifer ("Escapes")
In the story "Escapes," Caryn must look after Jennifer, her niece, while her mother takes a break from her. Jennifer is one of the most interesting characters in the collection: she is fourteen and looks like a model, but she has no respect for rules of any kind and regularly gets kicked out of school. She also cuts herself, which is concerning considering her father's suicide. Her character, however, comes out as being brutally honest and seeking truth in exhilaration.
Jim ("Dropping Bombs")
Jim is a young gay man living in California, and when his mother comes out to visit, he can't figure out how to break the news to her. He is insistent on maintaining his lifestyle, but he can't stand the thought of breaking her heart, so he is relieved when she says that she will love him regardless of who else loves him.
