Candace Chen
Candace is a Chinese immigrant, born in Fuzhou, who moves to the United States when she’s six years old. After both of her parents pass away when she’s a young adult, Candace graduates college and moves to New York City, where she finds work at a publishing firm, specializing in Bibles. At the onset of the Shen fever pandemic, Candace stays in New York and continues going to work as people flee the city. She photographs the emptying city on a blog called “New York Ghost,” before she’s eventually found by a group of survivors who take her in, unaware that she is pregnant.
Ruifang Chen
Ruifang is Candace’s deceased mother and the more strict of her parents. She emigrates from China with her husband to pursue a better life, though she eventually wants to return to her home country. Although she feels initially “trapped” in America, she finds a local Chinese community and grows more accustomed to her new home. Her favorite American pastime is driving—especially with the top of their convertible down. Before her death, she encourages Candace to “make use of herself,” citing it as her and Zhigang’s only wish for their daughter. She succumbs to early onset Alzheimer’s years before the Shen Fever pandemic begins.
Zhigang Chen
Zhigang Chen is Candace’s father, who she describes as “thin and lanky” and “reserved and contemplative.” He immigrates to Salt Lake City with his wife in 1988 to pursue higher education and eventually takes a job as a housing loans risk analyst. After making enough money to fly Candace to the states in the nineties, his family is reunited. He is an extremely hard worker, often working late hours, and as a result suffers from violent migraines. Unlike his wife, Zhigang wants to remain in the U.S. for the rest of his life. He dies in a car accident just before Candace begins college.
Jonathan
Jonathan is Candace's boyfriend before the pandemic, whom she meets on the fire escape of their apartment building. Jonathan works as a freelance writer, though he aspires to become a novelist. Candace feels he resents what she does for work: commercial Bible production. Their relationship lasts about five years before he leaves New York—disillusioned by life in the city. He also fathers Candace’s unborn child, though she decides at the last moment never to tell him. His whereabouts after the pandemic begins are a mystery.
Bob Reamer
Bob is the ringleader of the group of survivors who find Candace in the back of a taxi cab. Although he seems well-intentioned and level-headed at first, he soon shows his true colors as a controlling, religious zealot who insists that everybody strictly adhere to his rules. He leads the group on missions to loot the homes of people infected with Shen Fever (“fevered”) for food and supplies. He also insists on killing any fevered individuals the group comes across, seeing it as humane. After the group reaches what Bob calls “the Facility” (an abandoned mall), he becomes a more antagonistic character, locking Candace inside a store after learning she’s pregnant and intends to leave the group. It is ambiguous whether or not he is fevered at the end of the novel.
Ashley Piker
Ashley is one of the few members of the survivor’s group that Candace somewhat considers a friend. Together, Ashley, Evan, and Janelle often go on night trips—unbeknownst to the group—to search for marijuana. On one of these night trips, which Candace insists on partaking in, Ashley leads the four to her childhood home, where she becomes fevered. She is shot and killed by Bob after he finds out what has happened.
Janelle Smith
Janelle is another one of the survivor’s group whom Candace comes to consider “the closest” she has to a friend. She is the first person Candace discloses her pregnancy to and, for a while, is the only person who knows. She is shot and killed by Bob after she throws herself in front of his gun to protect Ashley, who becomes fevered.
Evan Marcher
Evan is another one of the few survivors who, like Janelle and Ashley, Candace becomes somewhat acquainted with. After the incident at Ashley’s childhood home—in which Janelle and Ashley are killed—Candace tells Evan that she’s pregnant and plans on abandoning the group after they reach the Facility. Evan discloses these secrets to Bob, believing it will earn him Bob's favor. Feeling responsible for Candace’s imprisonment and overwhelmed with guilt, Evan takes his own life.
