Home Again

Madelaine Hillyard serves as the novel’s deuteragonist. She is a round, dynamic character whose personal and professional life is shown to be defined by a rigid sense of control, maintained largely through self-criticism. The novel’s exploration of her interiority reveals that her composed, professional facade masks her private anxieties and insecurities as a single mother. This carefully maintained persona is a defense mechanism she developed in response to a traumatic youth, shaped by the emotional neglect of her domineering father, Alexander Hillyard, and the abrupt abandonment by her first love, Angel. Her role as the perfect physician is a shield, mirroring Angel’s use of fame, intended to keep the world at arm’s length and protect herself from the vulnerability she equates with pain. In contrast to Angel, however, the novel shows that Madelaine’s low sense of self-worth has led her to seek an exacting lifestyle of social and ethical purpose. 

At the story’s outset, Madelaine’s relationships are fraught with unresolved tension. Her connection with her daughter, Lina, is strained because she parents from a place of fear, terrified of repeating her own disciplinarian father’s mistakes yet unable to connect with Lina on an authentic emotional level. Her attempts to be a friend rather than an authority figure backfire, creating more distance between them. Her closest relationship is with Francis DeMarco, who functions as her emotional anchor and a surrogate father to Lina. While this friendship provides essential stability, it also enables Madelaine to avoid fully confronting the unresolved pain of her past with Angel. Angel’s sudden reappearance in her life forces this confrontation, dredging up years of suppressed anger and hurt and compelling her to reconcile her past as a betrayed teenager with her present as a confident medical professional.

Madelaine’s character arc is a journey toward vulnerability and authenticity, both as a mother and as a woman. A significant turning point occurs when she decides to implement “no-shit weeks” (136) with Lina, finally embracing her role as a parent who must set boundaries, even at the risk of conflict. However, her most profound act of healing is her decision to authorize Francis’s heart for Angel’s transplant. This choice represents a monumental act of forgiveness, as she sets aside her personal history of betrayal to save the man who caused her so much pain. In doing so, she embodies the novel’s theme of The Power of Forgiveness and Second Chances. By the end of the novel, Madelaine has learned to let go of her fear of being hurt, allowing herself to love Angel again and to help create a new, blended family built on honesty and mutual support.

As the daughter of Angel and Madelaine, Lina Hillyard is a dynamic, round character whose personal quest for identity acts as an exploration of the novel’s key themes. When the story begins, Lina is a rebellious and angry 16-year-old. Her adoption of a “bad girl” persona, seeking out people and situations which are harmful, is framed as a cry for attention and a mask for her deep-seated loneliness and feelings of abandonment. Her physical resemblance to an unknown father is a constant, visible reminder of his absence, and a symbol of her self-loathing. This absence has created a void in her life, leading her to believe that finding him is the only way to complete her sense of self and understand her own identity. This intense desire to find her father and construct a complete family unit is the central motivation for her actions throughout the narrative.

At the beginning of the novel, Lina’s relationships are defined by her search for an idealized father figure, on whom she has pinned her hopes for happiness. Her emotional journey is the realization that she has rejected the love of the people present in her life and that she must accept herself and her responsibilities in order to be happy. Lina’s conflict with her mother is rooted in her construction that Madelaine’s perfection and emotional distance are what drove her father away, underpinned by scapegoating her mother for being her available parent. This resentment prevents her from seeing her mother’s love and creates a volatile dynamic in their home. Francis DeMarco serves as Lina’s surrogate father, attending father-daughter events and providing the steady, supportive presence she craves. Although her relationship with him is a sanctuary, she learns that she has failed to appreciate him fully in her pursuit to find her biological father. Francis’s sudden death is a pivotal moment in Lina’s development, forcing her to confront a profound loss and reconsider what truly defines a parent. Her grief-stricken realization about his role in her life is captured when she tells her mother, “You should have told me he was right there all along” (199), signifying her new understanding that fatherhood is built on love and presence, not merely biological ties. Her words show, however, that she is early in her journey of self-awareness and responsibility, as she blames her mother for not prompting her to reevaluate Francis’s importance in her life before his death.

Lina’s further transformation is marked by her gradual move toward maturity and self-acceptance. Discovering that her father is the famous Angel DeMarco is initially a dream come true, but she must soon reconcile this larger-than-life fantasy with the reality of a flawed, sick man. This process is essential to her growth. At the same time, her budding relationship with the stable and empathetic Zach Owen signals her conscious decision to move away from the destructive influence of friends like Jett and embrace healthier connections. By the end of the novel, Lina finds her place within a newly forged family. She accepts both Angel and Madelaine as real, flawed parents rather than comparing them to unattainable ideals. Her journey illustrates the novel’s exploration of Traditional Family and Home as the Location of Personal Fulfilment, showing that family is built through forgiveness, kindness, and emotional connection.

A largely static character, Francis DeMarco serves as a mentor figure and moral compass whose unwavering goodness provides a standard against which the other characters, particularly his brother Angel, are measured. From a young age, Francis is presented as a “savior” figure (18). He protects Angel from their mother’s anger, rescues a young, pregnant Madelaine after she is cast out by her father, and provides a stable, loving father figure for Lina. His quiet, selfless devotion to those he loves demonstrates the novel’s argument that true family is forged through commitment and presence rather than biological ties alone. He is the steady anchor in the turbulent lives of Madelaine and Lina, offering unconditional support without judgment. 

As Angel’s older brother, Francis acts as a direct foil. He is the “golden boy” to Angel’s “shit-kicking, hell-raising mistake” (18). Where Angel is defined by his selfishness and his decision to run away, Francis is defined by his selflessness and his choice to stay and support the people he loves. His steadfast nature is evident even in their youth, when he pleads with Angel, “Don’t just run away. Whatever it is, we can talk about it” (20). Francis’s life is also fraught with internal conflict; his unspoken and unrequited love for Madelaine represents a quiet, personal sacrifice has made, prioritizing his commitment to priesthood. Even after his death, Francis’s benevolent presence continues to guide the characters through Angel’s dreams and their shared memories, his spirit associated with the symbol of the porch swing. His final act of giving his heart to Angel is the ultimate sacrifice, a literal and figurative passing on of love and goodness that facilitates his brother’s happy ending.

Val Lightner is a flat, static character who represents the superficial, hedonistic Hollywood lifestyle that Angel has used to escape his past. As Angel’s agent and longtime friend, Val’s connection to him is rooted in a shared history of parties, drinking, and reckless behavior. He functions as a foil to Francis, who embodies stability, faith, and genuine love. In contrast, Val personifies a transient world of indulgence and transactional relationships. When Angel faces his mortality, the limitations of his friendship with Val become clear. Val expresses concern but is ultimately unwilling to alter his own lifestyle, prioritizing a film festival and a vacation over offering sustained support. His final appearance, during which he offers Angel a bottle of tequila while he is recuperating in hospital, epitomizes Val’s unhealthy influence on Angel. Angel’s rejection of Val’s influence signifies his commitment to the new, rewarding life he is building with his new family.