Queenie is a 25-year-old Jamaican-British woman who works as a writer at the Daily Read. Following a painful pause in her relationship with her boyfriend and a recent, undisclosed miscarriage, she struggles with severe anxiety and a lack of self-worth. She frequently relies on dark humor and sarcasm to deflect from the trauma of her childhood and the daily microaggressions she faces as a Black woman in London.

Darcy is Queenie's optimistic coworker and close friend at the newspaper. She is fiercely supportive and regularly covers for Queenie at work, though her perpetually positive outlook and position as a white woman sometimes prevent her from grasping the racial nuances of Queenie's experiences. She frequently chats with Queenie during work hours to offer emotional support.

Tom is Queenie's white boyfriend, a web developer who recently demanded a "three-month break" from their relationship. He struggles with Queenie's inability to articulate her emotional trauma, and he regularly prioritizes keeping peace with his subtly racist family over defending his girlfriend.

Cassandra is Queenie's friend from college. She comes from a stable family and views the world through a highly analytical, sometimes harsh lens. While she frequently psychoanalyzes her friends and provides unvarnished reality checks, she completely suspends this critical eye when dealing with her own romantic partners.

Kyazike is a Ugandan-British woman who has been Queenie's close friend since secondary school. She works at a bank, lives with her mother, and exudes total self-assurance. She is fiercely protective of Queenie and quick to verbally confront anyone who disrespects her or touches her inappropriately in public.

Veronica is Queenie's devoutly religious, Jamaican-born grandmother. She provides Queenie with a stable home and shows love primarily through acts of service, like cooking traditional Caribbean food and scrubbing Queenie's back. She believes in pushing through hardship stoically and views mental health struggles as a sign of weakness.

Sylvie is Queenie's estranged mother. Having survived severe domestic abuse from her ex-husband, Roy, Sylvie is now a quiet, fragile woman who struggles with severe anxiety that affects her ability to eat. Her trauma and past inability to protect Queenie created a deep rift between them.

Nicknamed "Tweed Glasses" by Queenie, Ted is a coworker at the newspaper. He shows an immediate romantic interest in Queenie, sending her flattering emails and pursuing her physically around the office despite her emotional unavailability and reluctance.

Guy is a Welshman whom Queenie encounters at a party. He engages in a purely physical, highly aggressive sexual dynamic with her that borders on painful. He represents the kind of self-destructive, dispassionate distraction Queenie seeks following her break with Tom.

Gina is Queenie's strict boss at the Daily Read. She is demanding and unsympathetic to Queenie's personal struggles, frequently asking her to write superficial pieces about fashion rather than the serious political topics surrounding racial violence that Queenie actually wants to cover.

Maggie is Queenie's deeply religious aunt. Despite her highly conservative views, suspiciousness of modern medicine, and denial of mental health conditions, she provides a vital maternal presence for Queenie during physical and emotional crises.

Queenie's grandfather is a quiet, observant patriarch of the Jenkins family. Having immigrated to London from Jamaica to build a life for his family, he speaks rarely but carries significant influence when he does weigh in on family matters.

Diana is Queenie's younger cousin. Heavily invested in internet culture and social media, she frequently makes Queenie feel old but shares her lack of interest in the family's strict religious practices. She is highly attuned to mental health issues.

Janet is a mental health counselor. She is patient and steady, tasked with helping Queenie navigate her deep-rooted trauma, panic attacks, and avoidance mechanisms regarding her childhood and her mother.

Roy is Sylvie's abusive ex-husband and Queenie's former stepfather. His physical violence and psychological cruelty destroyed Sylvie and Queenie's bond, instilling deep-seated feelings of worthlessness in Queenie that affect her adult relationships.

Adi is a Pakistani man and Queenie's former neighbor. He frequently makes crude, fetishizing remarks about her body and engages in transactional, dispassionate encounters with her.

Jacob is Cassandra's warm, welcoming father. His physical affection and genuine emotional care for Queenie highlight the painful absence of supportive father figures in her own life.

Elspeth is a clinical, straightforward medical professional who examines Queenie at the clinic. Recognizing signs of distress and potential trauma, she strongly urges Queenie to seek mental health counseling.

Chuck is an intern at the newspaper whose father heads the US division. Queenie is tasked with supervising his progress, though she frequently brushes him off despite his polite demeanor.