Florence, with its sun-warmed piazzas and echoing cathedrals, becomes the crossroads where grief, first love, and long-buried truths collide. At the center is a teen uprooted by loss who is asked to build a new life among strangers—and the friends who quickly stop feeling like strangers. The cast splits between the past that shaped them and the present that asks them to choose who they’ll be next.
Main Characters
Lina Emerson
Bold and guarded by turns, Lina Emerson is a 16-year-old American sent to Italy after her mother’s death, where she must navigate a foreign city, a new guardian, and a diary that reopens the past. Initially withdrawn and self-conscious about being “quiet,” she channels her runner’s drive into uncovering the truth of her family, moving from sarcasm and skepticism to vulnerability and courage. As she bonds with Howard and grows close to Ren, she learns to face fears both literal (the Duomo’s dizzying stairs) and emotional (meeting her biological father). Through her journey, Lina becomes the novel’s clearest lens on Grief and Healing and Identity and Self-Discovery, transforming Italy from a place she was sent to a home she chooses.
Hadley Emerson
Seen through her journal, Hadley Emerson is the vibrant, impulsive young artist whose choices set every event in motion. Her Florence is one of late-night fountains, camera straps, and big feelings—passion that lifts her to dizzying heights and secrets that bring her to heartbreaking lows. Torn between a toxic affair with Matteo and the steady love she shares with Howard, Hadley chooses to protect others even at her own expense, leaving a legacy of silence that her daughter must unravel. Her posthumous voice anchors the novel’s exploration of Secrets and Truth and the costs of youthful, incandescent Love and Romance.
Howard Mercer
Quietly funny and unfailingly kind, Howard Mercer cares for the Florence American Cemetery and, suddenly, for a grieving teenager who might be his daughter. He gives Lina time, space, and bad movies—offering patience instead of pressure—and their awkward beginnings deepen into genuine trust. Though he never stopped loving Hadley, his steadiness isn’t nostalgic; it’s active, a daily choice to show up for the living. Howard embodies The Nature of Family as commitment rather than blood, proving that chosen bonds can be the strongest ones.
Lorenzo "Ren" Ferrara
Charming, quick-witted, and a little bit quirky, Ren Ferrara becomes Lina’s first real connection in Italy—tour guide, truth-seeking partner, and ultimately, the boy she falls for. Straddling his own Italian-American identity, he understands Lina’s dislocation and makes room for her grief without making it a spectacle. Breaking up with Mimi to follow his heart, he grows from playful tease to steadfast ally, showing that kindness can be as thrilling as chemistry. Ren lights up the story’s thread of Love and Romance, turning curiosity into care and friendship into something lasting.
Supporting Characters
Matteo Rossi
A celebrated photography professor and the “X” in Hadley’s journal, Matteo Rossi is the novel’s corrosive center: seductive, selfish, and quick to deny responsibility. His secret affair with Hadley leads to Lina’s birth, but when confronted, he reveals a cowardice that clarifies why Hadley shut the door on him. Matteo never changes; he exists as a cautionary counterpoint to love, a study in the damage wrought by vanity and lies.
Sonia
Gentle and perceptive, Sonia works alongside Howard at the cemetery and quietly stitches the story’s timelines together. By placing Hadley’s journal in Lina’s hands, she gives the plot its key and the heroine her map. Her warmth and loyalty deepen the novel’s portrait of chosen family, offering Lina a soft place to land.
Addie
Back home in Seattle, Addie is the best friend who texts, jokes, and refuses to let grief isolate Lina. Loudly loyal and hilariously tactical—always planning a rescue—she keeps Lina tethered to her old life while cheering her into the new. Her voice on the line underscores the power of everyday friendship.
Thomas Heath
A handsome British classmate in Ren’s circle, Thomas Heath becomes a brief crush who complicates—then clarifies—Lina’s feelings. His flirtation triggers friction with Ren, helping Lina see the difference between surface charm and deeper connection. He’s memorable as the fork in the road she doesn’t take.
Minor Characters
Elena
Elena is a warm, dramatic Italian teen who ushers Lina into Florence’s social scene, hosting the raucous first party that widens Lina’s world.
Mimi
Mimi is Ren’s stunning, possessive girlfriend whose icy presence fuels jealousy and delays the inevitable shift toward Lina.
Marco
Boisterous and affectionate, Marco is the life of Ren’s friend group, offering comic relief and the exuberance of easy friendship.
Odette Ferrara
Eccentric and art-obsessed, Odette Ferrara is Ren’s American mother in a gingerbread house, equal parts embarrassing and endearing.
Francesca Bernardi
Stylish and smoky, Francesca Bernardi is Hadley’s journal-era roommate who supplies Matteo’s full name, unlocking the mystery.
The Jorgansens (Gloria and Hank)
Touristy and over-the-top, the Jorgansens introduce Lina to cemetery life with tacky gusto in the Chapter 1-5 Summary.
Character Relationships & Dynamics
At the heart of the novel lie two intertwined triangles: past and present. In the past, Hadley is torn between Matteo’s intoxicating, clandestine affair and Howard’s steady, open love; her choice to protect Howard—and later Lina—by keeping secrets creates the very mystery her daughter must solve. In the present, Lina’s friendship with Ren ripens into romance, tested briefly by Thomas’s flirtations and solidified by the way Ren meets her grief with curiosity and care.
Family lines blur, then re-form. Lina is Hadley and Matteo’s biological child, but the parental role belongs to Howard, whose day-by-day devotion reshapes what “father” means. This living definition of The Nature of Family contrasts sharply with Matteo’s refusal to acknowledge responsibility, setting up a moral counterpoint between love that shows up and desire that vanishes under pressure.
Around them, friendships act as scaffolding. Ren’s circle—Elena, Marco, Thomas, and even the disruptive Mimi—pull Lina into the rhythm of Florence, while Sonia’s quiet stewardship and Addie’s long-distance solidarity keep her emotionally grounded. Together these bonds transform a story about loss into one about belonging: a community forged from truth-telling, forgiveness, and the courage to choose each other.