56 pages • 1 hour read
The Quiet Librarian
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Character Analysis
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence, death, child death, sexual violence, rape, child sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, bullying, pregnancy termination, mental illness, racism, and religious discrimination.
Hana Babić/Nura Divjak
Hana, born as Nura, is the novel’s narrator and protagonist. She is a complex, round character who evolves as the narrative progresses. Hana is initially characterized through her quiet demeanor and unobtrusive personality. A small-town librarian in Minnesota, she is “invisible, just another middle-aged woman” (50). However, the novel reveals that she has carefully crafted this persona. She is living under false charges of war crimes from the Bosnian War, so she does her best to blend in under an assumed name in the new life she has built for herself. She relies on her intelligence, self-discipline, and survival skills to remain hidden.
In her youth, Hana (then Nura) is transformed by the outbreak of the war in Bosnia. After witnessing her family’s murder, she trains as a combatant and becomes a soldier in a Bosnian paramilitary unit. During the war, she displays calm in the face of danger, assertiveness, and resilience. These qualities remain with her even in her adulthood after she immigrates to the United States. She runs and exercises, finding that they relieve the anger that lingers as a result of her traumatic wartime experiences, so she remains in excellent physical shape.
