The Hotel Nantucket

Elin Hilderbrand

The Hotel Nantucket

Elin Hilderbrand
57 pages1-hour read
Fiction
Novel
Adult
Published in 2022

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Lizbet is a 38-year-old Minnesotan who moved to Nantucket fifteen years ago. Following a painful breakup, she embraces a sleek new image and takes on the demanding job of general manager at the newly renovated, notoriously haunted hotel. She is a fair, firm manager with a strong creative vision, though her recent betrayal leaves her struggling to trust others.

Key Relationships

Ex-boyfriend of JJ O'Malley

Employee of Xavier Darling

Romantic interest of Mario Subiaco

Mentor to Edie Robbins

JJ is a talented chef and Lizbet's former partner of fifteen years. He shares a long history with her, including shared dreams and unresolved grief over a past miscarriage. His infidelity creates a massive rift between them, prompting him to spend the summer attempting to win back her affection while managing his faltering restaurant.

Key Relationships

Ex-girlfriend of Lizbet Keaton

Affair partner of Christina Cross

Admirer of Mario Subiaco

Xavier is a septuagenarian British billionaire who made his fortune in cruise ships. He purchases The Hotel Nantucket as a personal pilot project, hoping to score an elusive five-key rating from a famous travel journalist and impress a woman from his past. He maintains a distant, formal approach to his staff, viewing the hotel strictly as a competitive investment.

Key Relationships

Employer of Lizbet Keaton

Romantic pursuer of Magda English

Grace is the ghost of a nineteen-year-old chambermaid who died in a hotel fire in August 1922. Trapped for a century, she observes the guests and staff with a keen intuition for their true characters. She desires recognition for her tragic death and actively intervenes to support kind staff members while punishing unruly guests.

Key Relationships

Former lover of Jackson Benedict

Murder victim of Dahlia Benedict

Ghostly companion to Wanda Marsh

Mario is a 46-year-old celebrated pastry chef who previously left the island after a personal tragedy. He returns to run the hotel's food program, creating elaborate dishes and a signature cocktail named after Lizbet. Behind his confident, sometimes cocky exterior, he harbors a strong work ethic and a patient, loyal heart.

Key Relationships

Romantic interest of Lizbet Keaton

Professional idol to JJ O'Malley

Coworker of Yolanda Tolentino

Edie is a 22-year-old Nantucket local grieving her father's recent death. She presents a cheerful, eager face to hotel guests but secretly struggles with financial strain and blackmail from a former college boyfriend. She hopes to gain independence and confidence during her summer employment.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Love Robbins

Employee of Lizbet Keaton

Coworker of Alessandra Powell

Blackmailed by Graydon

Romantic interest of Zeke English

Alessandra is a 33-year-old hospitality worker with extensive European hotel experience and a glamorous, nonchalant personal style. Beneath her polished exterior, she relies on seducing wealthy men to maintain her luxurious lifestyle, a habit she hopes to end by securing a permanent affluent partner this summer.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Valerie

Coworker of Edie Robbins

Mistress of Michael Bick

Former friend of Duffy Beecham

Chad is a wealthy young man who takes a job cleaning hotel rooms as a form of self-imposed penance. He carries immense guilt over causing a severe accident at a graduation party that permanently injured his best friend. He actively avoids his billionaire father's attempts to bring him into the family business, preferring hard manual labor.

Key Relationships

Son of Paul Winslow

Brother of Leith Winslow

Friend of Paddy

Coworker of Bibi Evans

Employee of Magda English

Magda is a 59-year-old former cruise line worker from the Virgin Islands. Unbeknownst to the rest of the staff, she possesses considerable personal wealth from smart investments. She chooses to work to stay occupied and support her family, bringing a shrewd, discreet professionalism to her management style.

Key Relationships

Aunt of Zeke English

Pursued by Xavier Darling

Supervisor of Chad Winslow

Supporting Characters

Christina is a wine representative at the Deck who becomes involved with JJ. She eventually takes over Lizbet's former position as front-of-house manager at the restaurant, though she struggles to replicate her predecessor's organizational success.

Key Relationships

Affair partner of JJ O'Malley

Professional replacement for Lizbet Keaton

Zeke is an easygoing, plain-spoken local surfer and novice bellboy. He wears his good looks lightly but faces persistent, unwanted sexual advances from older female guests. He is sensitive and professional, focusing on his work while grieving his recent loss.

Key Relationships

Nephew of Magda English

Romantic interest of Edie Robbins

Kimber is a newly divorced mother spending the entire summer in the hotel's luxurious Suite 114. She initially appears frazzled and chaotic, allowing her children to roam the halls unsupervised. She seeks stability and comfort after her husband's infidelity and pursues a romance with a staff member during her stay.

Key Relationships

Mother of Wanda Marsh

Romantic interest of Richie Decameron

Guest of Edie Robbins

Wanda is Kimber's eight-year-old daughter. Armed with a love for mystery novels, she acts as an amateur sleuth around the hotel. Her determination to uncover the truth about the 1922 fire results in a local newspaper article that significantly boosts the hotel's popularity.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Kimber Marsh

Investigator of Grace Hadley

Richie is an older man who takes the night shift at the hotel. He presents a benign, fatherly exterior but secretly sleeps in his car due to severe financial debts related to his divorce. He initiates a romantic relationship with a wealthy summer guest while conducting mysterious late-night phone calls from the office.

Key Relationships

Romantic interest of Kimber Marsh

Employee of Lizbet Keaton

Michael works in petroleum and forms half of a wealthy, seemingly perfect Nantucket couple. While his family is away in Connecticut, he stays on the island under the guise of a secret project, repeatedly engaging in infidelity and attempting to cover his tracks with elaborate conspiracy theories when confronted.

Key Relationships

Husband of Heidi Bick

Affair partner of Alessandra Powell

Heidi is Michael's wife and part of the island's elite social circle. She incorrectly suspects her close friend of sleeping with her husband after finding planted evidence in her house.

Key Relationships

Wife of Michael Bick

Friend of Lyric Layton

Lyric is Heidi's friend who becomes falsely accused of being Michael's mistress because she shares the same brand of makeup found at the scene. She hides a pregnancy from her social circle to avoid further drama.

Key Relationships

Wife of Ari Layton

Friend of Heidi Bick

Graydon is a former Cornell hospitality student who aggressively blackmails his ex-girlfriend. He threatens to release intimate recordings to future employers unless she meets his recurring financial demands.

Key Relationships

Blackmailer of Edie Robbins

Paul is Chad's billionaire father, a venture capitalist focused on protecting his family's reputation. He uses his wealth to pay off legal settlements rather than addressing the emotional fallout of his son's actions.

Key Relationships

Father of Chad Winslow

Father of Leith Winslow

Bibi is a 21-year-old single mother who works as a housekeeper. She occasionally tries on guests' expensive items, drawing suspicion, but is actually a hardworking student saving for a criminal justice degree.

Key Relationships

Coworker of Chad Winslow

Jackson was the owner of The Hotel Nantucket in 1922. He engaged in an affair with a young chambermaid and ultimately abandoned her during a fatal fire to protect his reputation and marriage.

Key Relationships

Husband of Dahlia Benedict

Father of Mint Benedict

Former lover of Grace Hadley

Dahlia is the jealous wife of the original hotel owner. During the summer of 1922, she discovered her husband's infidelity and deliberately locked his mistress in the attic during a fire.

Key Relationships

Wife of Jackson Benedict

Mother of Mint Benedict

Murderer of Grace Hadley

Mint is the elderly son of the original hotel owner. Residing at a local nursing facility, he firmly believes the new renovation is doomed due to the dark secrets surrounding his father's past.

Key Relationships

Son of Jackson Benedict

Son of Dahlia Benedict

Yolanda runs the wellness program at The Hotel Nantucket. Her frequent, friendly visits to the kitchen for custom meals spark Lizbet's anxiety about potential workplace romances.

Key Relationships

Coworker of Mario Subiaco

Romantic partner of Beatriz