The English Bookstore in Bologna Characters

Psychotherapist and author of From Meh to Megawatt who flees Austin for Bologna after her book and life unravel. She is George and Faith's daughter, haunted by her failed self-help empire, her past with Corrado, and her need to prove herself. She wants to slow down, reclaim her Italian heritage, and find meaning beyond achievement.

Arc: She moves from a public breakdown and self-help persona to authenticity: she admits her book was about herself, disbands the Megawatters, writes for herself, reconciles with George, and commits to Corrado. By the end she has written The Megawatt Detox, becomes a New York Times bestseller, and is Corrado's partner.

• George Briggs — her father
• Faith Morrison — her mother
• Corrado — old flame and romantic partner
• Sandy — bookstore owner and friend
• Moira — friend and devoted reader
• Carol — old friend in Bologna
• Harold Gibler — friend and audience member she encourages
• Donna Bologna — fortune teller she consults
• Peggy Meh — character in her book
• Lacy — her therapy client

American expat who owns The Only English Bookstore in Bologna; she is sarcastic, guarded, cynical about romance, and rides a Vespa through tourist crowds. She stocks romance only to stay afloat and has survived two failed marriages. She grieves her son Jack Cooke, a marine killed in Syria eight years earlier, and keeps his cell phone active to hear his voicemail.

Arc: She begins wanting only to keep the lights on and later plans to sell the bookstore and move to Lisbon. After Moira confronts her and she admits her grief, she allows the book club and community to grow, confesses she wants George to stay, and rebuilds the store into a success. She ends surrounded by George, Moira, and heaps of books.

• Moira — employee and best friend
• George Briggs — romantic partner
• Jack Cooke — her deceased son
• Nicolo — her cat and true love
• Bianca Briggs — author she hosts and befriends
• Harold Gibler — young man she mentors like a son
• Salvatore — younger lover she rejects
• Will — first husband and abuser
• Howie — second husband
• Alena — housekeeper who had an affair with Howie

Bianca's father and Faith's ex-husband, forced out of Intel after almost thirty years. Retired in Arizona, he is depressed, purposeless, and nearly kills himself with Percocet. He battles a squirrel named Mr. Nutz and struggles to hide his darkness from Bianca.

Arc: He moves from near suicide and secrecy to confessing his suicidal thoughts to Bianca, apologizing for interfering with Corrado, and choosing to stay with Sandy. He finds purpose working at the bookstore and in his relationship with Sandy, and he says goodbye to Mr. Nutz before major life changes.

• Bianca Briggs — his daughter
• Faith Morrison — his ex-wife
• Sandy — romantic partner
• Mason — his father
• Mr. Nutz — squirrel archnemesis
• Sir Parm — mouse he names and tries to catch
• Corrado — man he warns away from Bianca
• Moira — co-worker and friend
• Harold Gibler — friend

A heartbroken American who followed Alice to Bologna after she left him. Formerly a barista and gamer living with his mother in Denver, he invents the confident alter ego Aroldo to pursue Alice and hides the truth about his life. He reads Bianca's book and is ashamed of his lies.

Arc: He moves from obsessive waiting and role-playing as Aroldo to public honesty at Bianca's book-club event, accepting that Alice loves Renzo, and returning home to rebuild his life. He chooses self-worth, apologizes to Moira, and begins a romance with her.

• Alice Richter — former love he follows to Bologna
• Renzo — rival and enemy
• Moira — friend and romantic interest
• Sandy — mentor and friend who calls him like a son
• Vittorio Spina — opera singer who helps his grand gesture
• Duo — Duolingo mascot he argues with
• Bianca Briggs — author whose book he reads
• Jamie Everhorn — school bully in his memory

Alice's Italian boyfriend and later fiancé, described as Harold's rival and enemy. He mocks Harold as 'little Harold,' tells him to go home to Denver, flips him off, and taunts him at Il Minerva. He built the hotel where Corrado's restaurant opens and receives good treatment there.

Arc: He remains with Alice and antagonizes Harold throughout. At Corrado's restaurant he taunts and pushes Harold, who punches him twice and knocks him out.

• Alice Richter — girlfriend and fiancée
• Harold Gibler — rival and enemy
• Corrado — acquaintance who built the hotel

Sandy's sole employee and best friend at the English bookstore, an enthusiastic Megawatter with a 'Leave BURN MARKS' tattoo. She organizes the book club and Bianca's signing and believes the store can build community. She is secretly in the UK Protected Persons Service, a former librarian who testified against her organized-crime ex-husband and has been hiding in Bologna.

Arc: She moves from devoted fan and event organizer to confronting Sandy about giving up, then reveals her hidden identity. She grows close to Harold, kisses him at the airport, and remains a force for community and connection in the bookstore.

• Sandy — employer and best friend
• Harold Gibler — friend and romantic interest
• Bianca Briggs — author she admires
• Alice Richter — jealous of Harold's love for her
• George Briggs — co-worker and friend
• her ex-husband — organized-crime boss she testified against

An Italian chef and Bianca's old love from her gap year, now opening Il Minerva at the Hotel Minerva. He is romantic, philosophical about food and slow living, and later earns a Michelin star. He refuses Bianca until she is ready to commit rather than live as a placeholder.

Arc: He moves from reconnecting with Bianca at coffee and inviting her to his restaurant opening, to refusing a relationship because she is waiting to become her Megawatt self, to accepting her naked apology and becoming her partner.

• Bianca Briggs — old flame and romantic partner
• George Briggs — Bianca's father, who warned him off
• Carol — friend who gave Bianca his number
• Renzo — acquaintance who built the hotel
• Jacques — writer friend in Paris

An American student in Bologna and the object of Harold's obsession. She met Harold in a Denver coffee shop, left him, and is now with Renzo. She fights with Renzo, spends one night with Harold, then later reveals she loves Renzo and is marrying him.

Arc: She moves from Harold's love interest to rejecting him for Renzo, becoming engaged, and remaining with Renzo. She does not return Harold's feelings.

• Harold Gibler — ex-boyfriend who still loves her
• Renzo — boyfriend and fiancé
• Moira — Moira is jealous of her

Bianca's mother and George's ex-wife, who encouraged Bianca's gap year and started a gap year fund for her. She speaks to George often and helps him during his crisis. She reveals to Bianca that George nearly killed himself, asking Bianca not to tell him.

Arc: She moves from supporting Bianca's independence to confiding the truth about George's depression, which helps Bianca reconcile with her father. She remains a protective and supportive mother and ex-wife.

• Bianca Briggs — her daughter
• George Briggs — her ex-husband whom she helped during his crisis

Bianca's old friend in Bologna, married to Silvie, an orthopedic surgeon. She hosts Bianca at Osteria del Sole and a terrace dinner, invites her to her yoga studio, and plays Cupid by giving Corrado Bianca's number. She is a warm, encouraging friend.

Arc: She helps reconnect Bianca to Bologna and to Corrado, supports her through the failed book and new life, and remains a confidante. She misses Bianca's event because she is sick.

• Bianca Briggs — old friend and confidante
• Corrado — friend she shares news with
• Silvie — her husband
• Donna Bologna — had a reading from her

Sandy's son, a marine who died in enemy action in Syria eight years before the main story. Sandy keeps his cell phone account active to hear his voicemail and remembers the coral he carried during deployments. He is also referred to as Jack and once as Jackie in the notes.

Arc: He is revealed late in the story as the source of Sandy's grief and fear of love. His death explains why Sandy keeps people at a distance and fears losing those she loves.

• Sandy — his mother
• Will — his biological father
• Howie — the man who raised him from age ten

A Bologna fortune teller who told Bianca she would write a book and later tells her the book she wrote was not the book she was supposed to write. She says what we resist is the direction we should go and uses a dough-and-oven metaphor about life. She also told Carol she would never leave Italy.

Arc: She gives Bianca cryptic guidance that pushes her toward a more authentic life. She remains a mysterious adviser rather than a changing character.

• Bianca Briggs — client and fortune-teller
• Carol — client and fortune-teller

A younger Italian jazz guitarist and Sandy's lover. He texts her more from the road and seeks her out when back in town. He wants a deeper relationship and asks to see her apartment and bookstore.

Arc: He moves from casual lover to asking for more, then is rejected when Sandy refuses anything serious, leaves twenty euros, and tells him not to come to her bookstore.

• Sandy — lover she rejects

Bianca's therapy client in Austin, unhappily married to Gregg. She recounts pushing Gregg into a pool at the Four Seasons and asks Bianca whether she should leave him. She fears divorce and losing custody.

Arc: She appears in Bianca's therapy session during Bianca's breakdown. Her struggles contrast with Bianca's own unraveling and remain unresolved in the notes.

• Gregg — her husband
• Bianca Briggs — her therapist

Lacy's husband, who was pushed into the Four Seasons pool while wearing a tuxedo. He smirked and said it was nice in the pool. He is part of Lacy's marital conflict.

Arc: He does not change in the notes; he remains the subject of Lacy's therapy session.

• Lacy — her husband

An opera singer recruited by Aroldo to help win Alice back. He agrees because it would be an honor and performs 'In Your Eyes' in a tuxedo outside Alice's apartment. He lunches daily with his deceased wife.

Arc: He helps Harold's grand romantic gesture and offers the advice to love her like it is his last day every day. He remains a kind, romantic side character.

• Harold Gibler — collaborator on the serenade
• his deceased wife — still lunches with her memory

Sandy's cat, whom she calls her true love. He greets her at the door, weaves around her legs, purrs, and demands his food be covered with parm. He comforts Sandy at home.

Arc: He remains Sandy's constant companion through her loneliness and eventual opening to love.

• Sandy — her cat

A squirrel and George's archnemesis, who eats birdseed from his feeder, evades his rake, and once causes George to fall and cut his forearm. He appears in George's dream and later eats from the feeder after George fills it for the last time.

Arc: He moves from comic adversary to a creature George says goodbye to before major life changes.

• George Briggs — squirrel adversary
• Sir Parm — cousin

A mouse George names in Bianca's kitchen. He steals the good cheese without triggering the trap and refuses cheap cheese. George eventually removes the trap and leaves aged Parm for him.

Arc: He moves from pest to accepted presence when George concedes by removing the trap.

• George Briggs — mouse he names and tries to catch
• Mr. Nutz — cousin

Sandy's first husband and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end. He abused her, likely suffered from CTE, went to jail after a public trial, and divorced her. He is Jack's biological father.

Arc: He exists in Sandy's past and helps explain her fear of love and marriage. He does not appear in the present.

• Sandy — first husband and abuser
• Jack Cooke — biological son

Sandy's second husband, a gentle real estate agent who embraced Jack. After nine years of marriage he had an affair with their housekeeper Alena, and Sandy divorced him.

Arc: He exists in Sandy's past and reinforces her cynicism about lasting love. He does not appear in the present.

• Sandy — second husband
• Jack Cooke — raised him from age ten
• Alena — housekeeper and affair partner

Sandy and Howie's twenty-year-old Cuban housekeeper who dreamed of winning American Idol. Howie fell in lust with her and had an affair; Sandy divorced him after smelling Alena's perfume on him.

Arc: She appears only in Sandy's memory and explains the end of Sandy's second marriage.

• Howie — affair partner
• Sandy — housekeeper and employer

George's father, who raised George alone after George's mother died when George was nine. He did not handle grief well.

Arc: He exists in George's backstory and helps explain George's guardedness and struggles with fatherhood. He does not appear in the present.

• George Briggs — his son

The Venetian gondolier in a classic red-and-white-striped shirt who steers Bianca and George through the canals. He is a minor local color character.

Arc: He appears briefly during Bianca and George's Venice trip and does not change.

• Bianca Briggs — gondolier for her and George
• George Briggs — gondolier for him and Bianca

Bianca's neighbor in the Via Giulia apartment building. She asks about Bianca's father cleaning the courtyard and jokes about trading fathers.

Arc: She appears briefly as a friendly neighbor and does not change.

• Bianca Briggs — neighbor

The tango teacher in Bologna who calls Sandy up for demonstrations and instructs the class to watch his hips and hands. He encourages improvisation.

Arc: He appears briefly in the tango lessons and does not change.

• Sandy — demonstration partner in class
• Harold Gibler — tango teacher

The Duolingo mascot and app notifications that nag Harold to start a new streak and keep learning Italian. Harold argues with Duo and threatens legal action.

Arc: He remains a comic nagging presence in Harold's isolation.

• Harold Gibler — app mascot he argues with

In Harold's memory, the school bully who pulled Harold's shorts down during kickball and exposed him. He was the first in their grade to lose his virginity.

Arc: He exists only in Harold's shame-filled memories and does not appear in the present.

• Harold Gibler — school bully

A character in Bianca's book, a bank teller in an unhappy marriage with an overbearing, abusive alcoholic father. Bianca helps her shift from Peggy Meh to Peggy Megawatt. Bianca also imagines violent scenarios about her.

Arc: She remains a fictional character who symbolizes Bianca's self-help message and later her ambivalence about it. Her story parallels Bianca's own wounds.

• Bianca Briggs — therapist and author
• Matthew Meh — husband in the book
• Harold Gibler — reader who identifies with her wounds

Peggy Meh's husband in Bianca's novel. He is a minor fictional character in Bianca's book.

Arc: He does not change; he exists only within Bianca's fictional narrative.

• Peggy Meh — her husband in Bianca's book

A Megawatter from Wichita who messages Bianca about Peggy Goes to Italy. She represents Bianca's remaining readership and their expectations.

Arc: She appears only in a message to Bianca and does not change.

• Bianca Briggs — fan and reader

Carol's husband, an orthopedic surgeon in Italy. He is mentioned as part of Carol's life in Bologna.

Arc: He does not appear directly and does not change.

• Carol — her husband