Nazneen is an 18-year-old Muslim woman who relocates to London through an arranged marriage to a man nearly twice her age. Conditioned by her mother's stoic fatalism, she approaches her new life with passive endurance. Her world is largely confined to her cramped apartment in Tower Hamlets, where she seeks solace in the Koran and attempts to make sense of a foreign culture. She spends her afternoons meditating, cleaning, and preparing for the eventual arrival of children.

Hasina is Nazneen's fiercely independent sister who remains in Bangladesh. Unlike her stoic sister, she acts impulsively and relies on her exceptional physical beauty to chart her own course. She corresponds with Nazneen through detailed letters describing her passionate, often unstable life choices as she moves between relationships and employment.

Chanu is a middle-aged Bengali immigrant who has lived in London since his twenties. He holds a degree in literature but works in a low-level council job under a boss named Mr. Dalloway. He is a constant talker who dreams of intellectual greatness and social mobility, though his lack of practical follow-through keeps him frustrated. He repeatedly vows to return home as a success.

Mrs. Islam is an older, formidable woman in the Tower Hamlets estate who carries an ominous black bag. She presents herself as a respected community elder but operates as a ruthless moneylender. She uses indirect manipulation, feigned illness, and the threat of her violent sons to maintain control over her desperate neighbors.

Karim is a London-born Bengali youth who acts as the middleman delivering sewing materials to home workers. Dressed in modern Western clothes like jeans and gold chains, he represents the energetic younger generation of immigrants. He harbors strong political beliefs and actively organizes local Muslims to assert their rights, bringing news of the outside world into Nazneen's home.

Dr. Azad is a precise, quiet medical doctor who speaks in a low whisper. As an educated professional, he represents the immigrant success Chanu desperately craves. He harbors private struggles regarding his own marriage, contrasting with Chanu's arranged domestic life.

Razia is a big-boned, practical immigrant woman living in the same housing complex as Nazneen. She has a sharp sense of humor that cuts through the polite fictions of their community. She dreams of achieving financial independence and taking control of her own physical appearance.

Rupban is Nazneen and Hasina's mother, living in their rural East Pakistan village. She models extreme stoicism, famously declaring that life must simply be endured without intervention. Her untimely, violent death by a spear in the family storehouse haunts both of her daughters throughout their adult lives.

Shahana is Chanu and Nazneen's eldest daughter. She strongly identifies with British culture and actively rebels against her father's attempts to enforce Bengali traditions. She insists on speaking English and desires modern forms of self-expression.

Bibi is the younger daughter of Nazneen and Chanu. Unlike her rebellious older sister, she is eager to please and dutifully recites the Bengali poetry her father assigns. She acts as a peacekeeper in the volatile household.

Tariq is Razia's English-born son. He exhibits deep cynicism regarding traditional Muslim family structures and increasingly distances himself from his mother's authority, falling into dangerous urban habits.

The Questioner is a politically active figure in the local community who challenges other leaders on religious and global issues. He carries a pile of papers and aggressively pushes a strict, globally focused Islamic agenda, contrasting with more localized activists.

Mrs. Azad is the doctor's wife, a woman whose wealthy family funded his medical education. She embraces modern, Western habits and maintains a sharply contentious household marked by symbolic snarling tiger decorations.

The Tattooed Lady is a silent, sphinx-like neighbor who sits by her window in Tower Hamlets. Her heavily marked skin fascinates Nazneen, serving as a visceral reminder of a woman permanently marked by her past and confined to the margins of society.

Son Number One is one of Mrs. Islam's intimidating henchmen. He acts as the silent physical muscle supporting his mother's usurious moneylending operations, ensuring her neighbors remain compliant out of fear.

Son Number Two operates alongside his brother as an enforcer for his mother's debt collection. He relies on physical presence and the threat of broken bones to collect exorbitant interest payments from vulnerable immigrants.

Mumtaz is Nazneen's aunt in the East Pakistan village. She is practical and proactive, arguing that the sick infant should be taken to a hospital rather than left to fate. She holds a deep grudge against Nazneen's father following her sister's tragic death.

Banesa is Nazneen's grandmother, who lives in the village. She strictly supports her daughter Rupban's decision to leave the sick newborn's fate to God rather than seek medical intervention.

Mr. Chowdhury is a landlord in Dhaka who initially presents himself as a savior to Hasina. He promises to secure her a job at a garment factory, using his position of authority to lower her defenses.

Ahmed is a shoe factory worker in Dhaka who marries Hasina. He initially provides her with a sense of stability and domestic pride before their relationship deteriorates.

Mr. Dalloway is Chanu's boss at the local council. He represents the English establishment that Chanu desperately tries to impress, completely unaware of Chanu's attempts to socialize and climb the bureaucratic ladder.