Luckiest Girl Alive Characters

TifAni “Ani” FaNelli

Ani is the protagonist of the novel. She is a 28-year-old editor working for a women’s magazine in New York City and is also recently engaged. By all accounts, Ani leads a glamorous life, but inside she harbors deep secrets about her past. As a teenager, she suffered a number of traumatic experiences that included gang rape and a school shooting by fellow students. As an adult, Ani lives with the suppressed trauma of both events. These feelings are eventually brought to the surface when Ani gets involved in a documentary on the shooting.

Luke Harrison

Luke is engaged to Ani. He is a financial professional from a wealthy family. Luke does not know the traumatic past that his fiancé went through as a fourteen-year-old girl. He discovers these events when Ani is presented with a chance to participate in the documentary. Rather than encourage her to resolve her traumas, Luke advises Ani to avoid participating in the project. As Ani delves into her past, their relationship begins to suffer.

Arthur Finnerman

Arthur was a student who studied at the Bradley School with Ani when she was a teenager. Arthur was a social outcast who formed a friendship with Ani when no one else would associate with her. Because he was bullied, Arthur hated many of the students of the Bradley School, and he conspired with another former student (Ben) to detonate bombs and open gunfire at the school. Arthur was responsible for the deaths of five students and severe injuries to others; he shot Dean, leaving him paralyzed for life. Ani killed Arthur with a knife during the attack at the school.

Dean Palmer

Dean is one of the soccer players and a popular kids in the Bradley school who is respected and liked by other students. Dean was one of the boys who raped Ani; he also tried to assault her a second time a few weeks later. During the school shooting, Arthur shoots Dean, and leaves him paralyzed for the rest of his life. After surviving the attack, Dean builds a successful career as a writer and motivational speaker. He also harms Ani's reputation by sharing his suspicions that she may have been involved in planning the attack. Dean contributes to the documentary that is filmed years after the attack, and during the filming, he finally acknowledges to Ani that he and the other boys raped her. Dean, however, does not plan to take any public accountability and Ani tricks him by recording an admission that he intends to keep private.

Andrew Larson

Andrew Larson teaches English at the Bradley School during the first year that Ani studies there. He is astute and observant, so he realizes what is happening to Ani and tries his best to help her. He is fired before the attacks occur, and he and Ani do not have any contact for many years. During that time, Mr. Larson gets married and has children. He later crosses paths with Ani's fiancé, and comes up with a reason to spend time with her. Ani and Mr. Larson spend time together during the filming of the documentary, and are clearly attracted to one another. Mr. Larson's role, however, is to primarily help Ani realize her own strength and resilience.

Nell

Nell is Ani's best friend, and one of the few people whom she actually trusts. Nell and Ani met in college and have been close ever since; when Ani abruptly breaks off her engagement at the end of the novel, Nell unquestioningly supports her.

Mrs. FaNelli

Ani's mother, Mrs. FaNelli, is socially ambitious, and has always wanted her daughter to marry a wealthy man. These ambitions drive her to be very conscious of her daughter's appearance, and she specifically enrolled Ani in the Bradley School in hopes of increasing Ani's social profile. Despite her ambitions, Mrs. FaNelli is often socially uncouth, tacky, and embarrassing to Ani. She also does not truly care about her daughter's feelings; when Ani confides that she has been raped, Mrs. FaNelli assumes that her daughter is at least partially to blame. Later, she is very focused on Ani marrying Luke, even though she knows that Ani is unhappy and does not truly love Luke.

Hilary and Olivia

Hilary and Olivia are both students at the Bradley School. They are pretty and popular girls who initially seem interested in forming a friendship with Ani. Ani is very eager to win their approval, but they eventually turn against her and do very cruel things to her. Olivia is killed when one of the bombs go off during the school attack. Hilary survives the attack, but loses one of her limbs.

Teddy, Beth "the Shark," and Sarah

Other students who attend the Bradley School; they are positioned somewhere between the clique of the soccer players and the outcasts like Arthur and Ani. Teddy is killed during the school attack.

Moni

One of Ani's friends from college, and one of her bridesmaids.

Liam

Liam is a student at the Bradley School. He comes to the school as a new transfer student at the same time that Ani does, and quickly becomes popular because he is handsome and athletic. Ani has a crush on him, but he is one of the boys who rapes her at the party. Liam does not seem to think he has done anything wrong. He dies during the school attack, and many people mourn him.

Peyton

Peyton plays on the soccer team at the Bradley School, and is good friends with Dean. He is the third boy who rapes Ani at the party. Peyton dies during the attack at the school.

Ben Hunter

Ben is a former Bradley School student. He has left the school before Ani begins studying there. Ben was bullied so cruelly that he tried to kill himself; in the aftermath, he and Arthur work together to plan a horrible attack at the school. During the attack, Ben shoots and kills several students. He later kills himself.

LoLo

LoLo is Ani's editor at the magazine where she works. She likes Ani and respects her work. LoLo functions as a kind of mentor to Ani, and tries to help her in her career.