Harrison William Shepherd
The main character of the story, with most of the narrative told from his perspective through personal journal entries. He is born July 6, 1916 in Lychgate, Virginia to a Mexican mother and American father. As an adult, he is described as being “well-groomed with dark hair and Roman features” as well as having blue eyes and being very tall at six feet five inches.
Throughout his life, Harrison struggles with his identity and the conflicting roles he plays. In a relatively short amount of time, he goes back and forth between identifying as Mexican or American, depending on his location and company. In this same short time period, he also goes from being an unknown employee of famous individuals to an influential and wealthy employer in his own right. Even his name changes, with his mother only referring to him as “Will” as a child, and then going by Harrison or “Harry” as an adult.
He detests fame and the way people are written about salaciously in the media in order to serve the purpose of whatever narrative is the most popular or convenient for society. He witnesses this happening to his friend Trotsky and then later to himself when his once adoring fans turn against him. This leads to him being quiet and bookish, retreating from public life and holing up in his house with only his secretary Violet Brown for company. He is kind and cares deeply for the people around him. He is susceptible to falling into depressive states when he feels helpless against the injustices of the world. Eventually, he escapes further persecution by the American government by faking his drowning death in Mexico.
Salomé "Sally" Huerta
The mother of Harrison. She is born in Mexico to a well-off family of Spanish descent, but runs away to America at age 16. In America, she claims to be 20 and changes her name to Sally. There, she marries an accountant in her father’s firm and has her son Harrison, whom she refers to as “Will". Eventually she grows bored with her life in America and has an affair, which leads to her moving back to Mexico with Will when he is 13.
She is described as having green eyes and a passionate personality. She tends to be impulsive and strives to be fashionable and wealthy, often neglecting her young son in favour of whatever whim she has recently taken. She dies in a car accident, racing to see the famous pilot Howard Hughes perform at an air show.
Violet Brown
Harrison’s trusted secretary whom he develops a close friendship with after years of working closely together. Some of the narrative is from her perspective, sometimes filling the gaps that Harrison has left. She feels protective over Harrison and tries to shield him from negative press and prying fans. She is one of only a few people who knows Harrison well, including the fact that he is gay.
She first meets Harrison when he moves back to the States after Trotsky is killed. They live in the same boarding house and later, after he has become a famous author, he remembers her and hires her as his secretary to keep up with his growing correspondence. Violet is older than Harrison and was married as a teenager for a year in 1916 to Freddy Brown. She was widowed that same year when Freddy dies in a great flood that sweeps through Asheville. She has remained a widow ever since. She is a sensitive and caring person, as well as being deeply loyal to Harrison and his legacy.
Frieda Kahlo
A fictionalized version of the real-life artist. She is described as being passionate and colourful, with her elaborate clothing choices and costumes matching her fiery personality. Her free spirited ways are frequently at odds with her poor health and she is often sick and confined to bed or the hospital. She is married to Diego Rivera, another artist who is initially the more famous of the two. Her and Diego have multiple affairs, often fighting or separating before getting back together.
Frieda is not much older than Harrison but as his employer, she is always acting as his senior. He is enamoured by her and thinks of her as a princess in her colourful and traditional Mexican costumes. At first, as part of her household staff, he is quiet and deferential toward her, but they soon develop a close bond and friendship that lasts for the rest of their lives.
Diego Rivera
A fictionalized version of the real-life artist. He is the husband of Frieda and is Harrison’s employer, first as a plaster-mixer and then as a cook and secretary in the Rivera household. He is much older than Frieda and described as being very large, ugly and frog-like in appearance. Despite the age and size difference between the two, he and Frieda are passionately in love at first and share many similar interests, such as a support for communism and the Mexican people.
Like Frieda, he has a passionate temper. Although he is described as being physically unattractive, he is very popular with women due to his magnetic and passionate personality and embarks on many affairs, including one with Frieda’s own sister. He is a supporter of Leon Trotsky and offers his home as a safe house for Trotsky when he seeks asylum in Mexico. He has a tendency to be flippant, often going with whatever job or social tenet is more profitable at the time.
Lev Davidovich (Leon Trotsky)
A fictionalized version of the real-life Russian revolutionary and Communist figure. As an opposer of Stalin, he is exiled and must seek sanctuary outside of Russia, which eventually leads him to Mexico and the Riveras.
When he comes to the Rivera household, he is middle-aged and tired, having witnessed most of his family, friends and supporters be assassinated. He and his wife fear for their grandson’s life and they are constantly on edge and prepared for their own inevitable assassinations. Despite his chaotic life, he remains faithful to his beliefs and has a quiet and powerful personality. He is deeply admired by Harrison and encourages him to write.
While living in the Rivera household, he has a brief affair with Frieda, despite being much older than her and living in close quarters with both of their spouses. The affair is quickly ended when it is discovered by their spouses and the entire household lives in a state of tension for awhile. Eventually he and his wife reconcile and life in the house begins to normalize again.
Despite being heavily guarded and constantly preparing for an assassination, Lev is caught off guard by Jacson, a person they all believed they could trust. Jacson kills Lev in his office and this brings about an end to Harrison’s time with the Riveras in Mexico.
Natalya Davidovich
Trotsky’s wife. She joins Lev in seeking asylum in Mexico and equally laments the loss of family and friends who have been targeted and killed because of their connections with Lev. She is constantly on edge and worried for her husband’s safety, as well as her own and their remaining son who has gone into hiding in Europe. Eventually they are reunited with their one remaining grandson, Seva, in Mexico and she is deeply protective of him.
Van
Trotsky’s secretary who is of French-Dutch ancestry. His French mother lost her citizenship for marrying his Dutch father and his life seems to parallel Harrison’s own experiences. Physically, he is described by Harrison as being very attractive and “tall, blond” and “broad-shouldered as a footballer”. Harrison has a deep, unrequited attraction for Van, but Van is unaware and also heterosexual.
Despite having a wife back in Europe, Van often has flings with local girls in Mexico. He even has a brief affair with Frieda, which causes Harrison to feel betrayed by Frieda. Eventually he becomes involved with an American girl and moves to the States. His absence allows for Harrison to become a secretary to Trotsky and further develop his writing career.
Enrique
The lover of Harrison’s mother and the reason for her and Harrison moving to Mexico. It is at Enrique's home that Harrison has his first experiences living in Mexico and is also the place where he first discovers the lacunae caves that eventually assist him in faking his death.
Enrique is the wealthy owner of a pineapple farm in Isla Pixol, Mexico. He is described as having a round head with “parted, shiny hair” and a “small moustache”. He starts to lose interest in Harrison’s mother and gives no indication that he will marry her or continue to support her and Harrison indefinitely. He is quite cruel and Harrison is happy when they eventually leave his household.
Billy “Bull’s Eye” Boorzai
A fellow pupil at Potomac Academy. He works for his tuition and gets Harrison a summer job at the school so that he doesn’t have to go home to his father's house. They develop a friendship and during their many times alone at the school, they become sexual. It is this relationship that gives Harrison his first realization that he is gay. Not much is known about Billy after Harrison’s expulsion from the academy.
Jacson
A young Belgian who befriends the Rosmers, close friends of the Trotsky’s. He owns a Buick and drives the Rosmers around in it, which leads to him occasionally acting as a driver for members of the Rivera household including Lev and Natalya. After slowly becoming part of the Trotsky’s inner circle, he assassinates Lev in his office at the Rivera house. It is then revealed that he had actually been working under Stalin’s orders and everyone is left feeling blindsided and betrayed, while also mourning the loss of their friend Lev.
