Book of Night

Vince is a multifaceted character who begins as Charlie’s love interest and a symbol of stability which roots her in a safe, honest life. When Posey expresses her distrust of him, Charlie dismisses her sister’s concerns as shallow and superficial. However, Charlie’s understanding of Vince is upended when Vince saves her from a gloamist attacker through a brutally efficient counterattack. For Vince, this represents a moment in which the façade he painstakingly constructed for himself begins to fall apart.

In reality, Vince is not a human; instead, he is the incarnation of Red, the former shadow of Edmund Carver, the grandson of the novel’s main antagonist Lionel Salt. Through Edmund, Red came into existence in a privileged, upper-class life. Because Red was created when both shadow and host were so young, Red retained more humanity than most quickened shadows and formed a strong fraternal bond with Edmund and a similar resistance to their sister Adeline’s influence. When Edmund died, he poured his life energy into Red, who took on the identity of Vince. Thus, a notable part of Vince’s creation is Edmund’s free will: Unlike the hosts of most quickened shadows, Edmund was not forced into submission or sacrificed for his life’s essence; instead, he understood that his time was up and gave his closest and oldest friend a chance at a new life. This mutual loyalty made Vince into a semblance of a kind and loving person.

In the second half of the novel, Vince is largely removed from the story, held captive by Salt. Once found by Charlie, Vince proves himself by breaking free to combat the vengeful Blight; at one point, Charlie realizes that Vince is willing to give his own life for the lives of those he loves. Although not stated overtly, this is likely the lasting influence of Edmund. Vince’s act of heroism shows that he has atoned for his murderous past and embraced his humanity.

Charlie’s younger sister Posey drives Charlie to build a stable and sheltered life she wouldn’t have built only for herself. While Posey exists primarily as a plot device to spur the protagonist into motion, she also helps to convey the theme of The Danger of Wellness Trends through her attention to media. Posey acts as a metonym for women of Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012): She’s easily swayed by potentially dangerous advice found on the internet and longs to be part of the novel’s equivalent of an influencer circle.

Despite her youth and naivety, Posey is shown to have an adventurous spirit and a capable attitude toward life’s problems. When she can’t manage to create the shadow magic results she’s looking for, she searches for new solutions and skills undeterred. This leads her to meet with an academic scholar to discuss what researchers have learned about how shadows are empowered, how Blights work, and how one could contain such entities.

It’s easy to see Posey growing into a leadership role in the future. By the end of the novel, Posey has reached her goal of obtaining a quickened shadow and has the potential to make the most of this new destiny in a way that Charlie never would. Although Posey remains a relatively static character, she’s left at a jumping-off point for a new chapter in her journey.

Lionel Salt is the primary antagonist of Book of Night. He is not a particularly complex character, instead reflecting the archetype of the rich, nefarious villain (it may not be a coincidence that he shares a name with Lionel Luther, father of Lex Luther, in Superman canon). His casual use of violence to dispose of those who stand in his way exemplifies The Insulation of the Wealthy—he acts with impunity knowing that he can buy his way out of any question of his misdeeds.

Besides being an ill-intentioned magician bent on acquiring power, Salt is also a source of adolescent trauma for Charlie, as his cold, sadistic nature leads to Rand’s death and to a turning point in her journey. Part of Salt’s power comes from the effect his reputation has: The mention of his name evokes tension and suspense in Charlie’s bar. The novel draws a sharp distinction between Salt and Charlie, both in terms of appearance and affect: Salt arrives in a Rolls Royce, immaculately presented, while Charlie is disheveled and unprepared; he looks at her with contempt for her existence, thinking that “someone [like Charlie] who’d peed in the woods, and who looked as though they’d had the kind of night people promised not to talk about outside of Vegas would have the grace to act ashamed” (161). This establishes their unbalanced dynamic.

Salt is arrogant and ruthless, characteristics displayed most viscerally when he forces his grandson Edmund/Remy to undergo drug use for Salt’s experiments with shadow magic. When Remy sensibly argues against mixing drugs and alcohol, he realizes his inebriation is for Salt’s protection: “That was the real genius of his grandfather, to set up things so that no matter what happened, he would never be accountable” (220). Ultimately, Salt’s inability to perceive his vulnerability leads to his downfall—he is conned by Charlie, whom he deems too far beneath him to be a threat.

Adam is a tertiary character positioned as Charlie’s successor in her line of criminal work. He is a young man involved in unscrupulous activities that ultimately prove to be too much for him to handle. Charlie plays on Adam’s arrogance to ensnare his trust and steal a valuable notebook. Ironically, Adam does something similar to his girlfriend Doreen, when he steals her heirloom jewelry and manipulates her into thinking he’s doing it for their shared benefit. Initially, Charlie views Adam as a minor annoyance who’s easy to take advantage of. She underestimates his pride and capacity for vengeance. While he seemingly gets the upper hand with Charlie in a violent attack, Adam’s arrogant rage eventually leads to his death.