All That's Left in the World

Jamie is the second protagonist and point-of-view character. Like Andrew, he is also 16 years old and is living alone at the start of the novel. He and his mother went to their cabin in the woods to survive once the superflu outbreak worsened. His mother raised him and was a doctor. Before she died a few months before the start of the novel, she wrote a book for Jamie with medical advice and instructions on how to care for most injuries and illnesses. She also took supplies from the hospital, giving Jamie necessities like painkillers and antibiotics in his cabin. When Andrew arrives at the cabin, Jamie struggles with his fear but also his desire for human companionship. In the end, he allows Andrew to stay, tending to his wounds and helping him heal.

Jamie and Andrew serve as foils to each other in many ways, emphasizing the various ways that people handle trauma. While Andrew uses humor, Jamie is always serious and calculating about his actions. He has medical training from his mother, supplies, and two guns that he knows how to use, while Andrew struggles with the idea of hunting or shooting. Despite these differences, Jamie and Andrew complement each other, with their romance emphasizing the theme of The Value of Human Connection. After surviving on their own for several months, they come together and become unflinchingly loyal to each other.

As a dynamic character, Jamie changes throughout the course of the text when he is forced to kill Harvey to defend Andrew. His choice to shoot Harvey conveys two important characteristics: his recognition of the need for violence to survive and the value that Andrew holds in his life. At the start of the novel, he struggles with the idea of even killing a deer, noting how he will starve once he runs out of food. Then, when he is confronted by Howard, he is haunted by his unwillingness to defend himself or Andrew. However, when he is faced with the decision again, he kills Harvey without hesitating. Although this choice also haunts Jamie, he recognizes the change that has occurred in the world and his need to change with it. What makes Jamie’s arc significant is that his violence coincides with his deepest realization of love; his naked confrontation with Harvey collapses vulnerability and ferocity into one act, showing that his capacity for intimacy and his capacity to kill are born of the same devotion. His slowness to voice his attraction until the confession scene highlights his caution, but once spoken, his loyalty becomes absolute, making him the novel’s moral center even as his innocence erodes.

Cara is a secondary character that joins Andrew and Jamie after they flee Fort Caroline. She is about the same age as them; she is described by Jamie as “a young woman with long brown hair” who “looks like a ghost in this candlelight” (198). She is shy and timid in Fort Caroline, always acting “wary” of those around her. She works as the receptionist in the motel where new citizens are taken, giving them their questionnaire and instructing them on how to register their supplies and weapons.

Although Jamie and Andrew are initially hesitant to trust Cara, they discover that she is unhappy in Fort Caroline. Her parents were killed, and her home was destroyed by people after the pandemic hit, leaving her alone to try to travel to Houston where her aunt lives. Although she recognized that the people in Fort Caroline were bad, she stayed because she “didn’t have anywhere else to go” (260). For months, she stockpiled food and planned her escape, then decided to leave after meeting Andrew and Jamie.

Although Cara is a relatively flat character, she becomes a valuable source of survival for Jamie and Andrew. She has a “photographic memory” (307) and a love of maps, which allows her to draw a route for Jamie and Andrew down to Florida, then to guide them once she joins them. When Jamie is shot, Cara searches the surrounding area for supplies and medicine, ultimately allowing them to stitch up Jamie’s wound and transport him to help. Her character emphasizes the theme of The Value of Human Connection in a literal and physical sense. She provides guidance and support for Jamie and Andrew, allowing them to survive when they would have otherwise died. Cara acts as a bridge figure. Her presence proves that Andrew and Jamie’s bond can expand without collapsing, reframing their romance not as an isolated dyad but as the foundation of a larger chosen family.

Like Jamie and Andrew, Cara struggles with her own trauma from the events of the pandemic. When they try to stay at a burned down shopping center, she “refus[es] to go near it,” instead “fall[ing] into silent tears and shield[ing] her eyes from the shopping center, crouching down in the middle of the parking lot” (275). Then, when Andrew yells in frustration at the gates of the community they discover at the novel’s end, Cara covers her ears and refuses to engage with him, something she did before when Andrew yelled. Brown hints toward Cara’s fear of fire and violence without ever truly exploring her feelings. Her character reminds the reader that everyone is struggling with the destruction of the world, even if her trauma is never fully explored due to the limited perspective.

Henri is a minor character that Andrew and Jamie meet on their trip to Washington, DC. She lives alone in Bethesda, hunting and growing her own food. Her husband, Tommy, died over 15 years before the start of the novel. Her one daughter, Amy, lives in Florida while her other, Kristy, lives in Colorado. When Andrew tries to get her to join them in their trip south, she insists that she is too old and that she has “hunkered down here pretty nicely” (133).

Henri’s character is a metaphorical representation of the goodness that still exists in the world despite everything that has happened. Without hesitating, she allows Andrew and Jamie to come into her home and cooks for them. She is kind and welcoming, standing in stark contrast to the other characters that Andrew and Jamie encounter in the novel. She also provides a source of motivation for them, giving them the multi-tool that they decide to try to return to Amy as a thank you for Henri’s help. At the novel’s conclusion, Andrew and Jamie are still unsure about the community in Florida. Although they are planning to go to Bethesda to get Henri, it is unclear whether they will bring her back, stay with her, or find somewhere new to go. In this way, their pursuit of Henri reflects their pursuit of goodness, as they are still looking for the comfort and safety she provided for them—and will continue to do so in the novel’s sequel.