Henry, whom Mona refers to as “Dadé,” is one of the novel’s primary characters. He is Camille’s father, Paul’s father-in-law, and Mona’s grandfather.

Dadé is a round, dimensional character whose relationship with his granddaughter changes him over the course of the novel. Dadé has always loved Mona but becomes particularly invested in her life after he learns about her eye condition. He fears that Mona will lose her sight for good and only have memories of ugly things; in hopes of implanting beautiful memories in her mind, he starts taking her to Paris’s best museums each week instead of to the psychiatrist. Dadé’s new pedagogical hobby ultimately offers Mona a deep understanding of human nature and a way to explore her own interiority.

Dadé’s connection with his granddaughter has always been close. Throughout much of her childhood, Dadé has tried not “to be one of those parodies of grandfathers, always looking out for youthful errors just to be able to correct them and sound smart” (11). Instead, Dadé encourages Mona’s distinct way of looking at the world and her mysterious way of speaking. In part, Dadé invests in Mona because he cares for her, but also because he hopes to solve the mystery of her unique linguistic usages. The narrative later reveals that Dadé is also devoted to Mona because she reminds him of his late wife, Colette (Mamie). Mona both resembles Mamie and carries her metaphoric light inside of her. She engages with the world with a similar curiosity and verve that Mamie did, which touches Dadé.

Dadé is still grieving his late wife in the narrative present. Although Mamie died seven years prior, Dadé continues to struggle with losing his wife prematurely. Mamie chose to die by assisted suicide when she began to lose her memory and capacity for speech. Ever since, Dadé has refused to let Mona talk about her grandmother; even Dadé and Camille don’t discuss her. The silence and mystery surrounding Mamie’s life and death is Dadé’s attempt at protecting his heart. He fears mentioning Mamie lest he suffer even more heartbreak.

Dadé ’s ability to tell Mona about Mamie at the novel’s end conveys his growth. Throughout the majority of the novel, Dadé hides his own emotions behind his intellectual and artistic interests. He invests in Mona but he doesn’t readily confide in her; he offers her extensive lessons in art history and human nature but is reluctant to show her his own vulnerability. By the time his and Mona’s year of museum-visiting ends, the experience has changed Dadé as much as it has changed Mona. He has refused to talk about Mamie because she also tasked him with “forget[ting] the negative” (526), which to Dadé means trying to forget her death. When he finally tells Mona his and Mamie’s story, he is confronting his loss and sorrow for the first time. Hiding from life’s woes doesn’t ultimately eradicate Dadé’s grief; it is opening up about life’s hardships that offers Dadé healing, grace, and hope.

Camille is a secondary character. She is Dadé and Mamie’s daughter, Paul’s wife, and Mona’s mother. Throughout the majority of the narrative, Camille is only featured in the scenes where Mona is visiting Dr. Van Orst. Camille consistently accompanies Mona to these appointments, and is always depicted in a state of worry or angst. Camille is terrified of hearing Dr. Van Orst’s reports on her daughter’s health, because she knows she is powerless to change Mona’s mysterious condition, which has rendered her powerless.

Despite Camille’s concern for Mona, she is often distant with her daughter. She is frequently working, worrying about finances, arguing with her husband over his drinking habit and failing business, or toying with her phone. The narrator never overtly indicates that Mona is disappointed with her mother, but Camille does not provide a warm, maternal presence Mona can consistently rely on. She often feels obligated to comfort her mother or call her back to reality when she is drifting into thought or worry.

Like Dadé, Camille is still grieving Mamie. Camille also refuses to speak about her late mother and particularly fears exposing Mona to the specifics of Mamie’s passing, fearing the details will only harm Mona more. What she later discovers is that hiding the truth of Mamie’s death by assisted suicide from Mona has only augmented the trauma of losing her grandmother. Camille is a less prominent character, but she does change over the course of the novel. Most notably, she learns from her daughter’s emotional maturation.