The Space Between Worlds

Adam Bosch, the CEO of the Eldridge Institute, serves as the primary antagonist. He is a round, complex character who embodies the novel’s critique of systemic power and ambition. The version of him that exists on Earth Zero presents himself as a benevolent, almost magical boy-wonder scientist: a charismatic figure who rescues Cara from the wastes. However, this public persona is a carefully constructed performance, a costume that conceals his true ruthlessness. In reality, he is the brother of Nik Nik, Ashtown’s emperor, and both siblings were raised by the unforgiving Nik Senior, who united Ashtown and the wastes under his brutal reign. As the physically weaker older brother to the favored Yerjanik (Nik Nik), Adam was deemed inadequate by his father, who murders him on most worlds. On Earth Zero, however, Adam escapes this fate and channels his resentment into a relentless ambition, methodically eliminating any potential rivals across the multiverse—including his own doppelgängers and those of any scientist capable of replicating his work. His creation of interdimensional travel therefore becomes a tool for creating a monopoly so absolute that it spans hundreds of worlds.

To this end, he manipulates Cara from the beginning, orchestrating Caramenta’s death and making it possible for Caralee to take her place, thereby gaining himself a traverser who comes from a more pliable “Ashtown stock” (205) and ridding himself of the pious, uncompromising Caramenta’s Ruralize sensibilities. He also believes that he can eventually mold Caralee into an assassin for his Maintenance department.

On Earth 175, Adam’s counterpart, Adranik, becomes the ruthless emperor of Earth 175 rather than Nik Nik, and when Cara discovers this fact, she is forced to realize that the Adam Bosch on her world may be just as unforgiving as the Earth 175 version: a suspicion that he soon confirms. Adam Bosch stands as the ultimate manifestation of The Systemic Exploitation of Marginalized Groups, for as the latter chapters of the novel reveal, he views all people as either assets or obstacles to his own selfish aims. Yet despite his immense power and intellect, his fatal flaw is his hubris. He underestimates both Cara and his brother because he views all Ashtowners as simple, greedy, and predictable. Specifically, he believes that Cara’s ambition will always outweigh her morality and that Nik Nik can be bought with money and a title. This arrogance leads to Adam’s downfall. In his final confrontation with Cara, he is so blinded by his own perceived superiority that he fails to recognize the danger she poses. Although his malignant mindset comes from the abuse he endured as a child, he is nonetheless a monster who has ironically surpassed his father’s brutality in his desperate quest to escape Nik Senior’s shadow.

Dell Ikari is Cara’s watcher at the Eldridge Institute. As the novel’s primary deuteragonist, she serves as both a foil and a love interest for Cara, representing the privileged, orderly world of Wiley City that Cara aspires to join. Initially, Dell exudes behavior that is ostensibly aloof, professional, and judgmental, treating Cara as a volatile asset to be managed rather than a person to be nurtured. However, the novel eventually reveals that her detached demeanor toward Caralee reflects the past betrayal of the late Caramenta, who rejected Dell’s overtures of love and lodged a complaint against her. As a result, Dell remains wary with Caralee, not realizing that she is an imposter, and at the same time, Caralee grows frustrated with Dell’s unapproachability.

As the novel progresses, Dell’s standoffishness gradually dissolves to reveal her deep-seated compassion. As she shifts from a rigid enforcer of rules to someone who repeatedly defies the system for Cara’s sake, this transition lies at the center of the novel’s exploration of the dynamics of emotional connection across seemingly insurmountable social divides. Dell’s identity is shaped by her heritage as the heir to a wealthy, traditional Wiley City family, and this background instills in her a powerful sense of duty and a cautious nature, contrasting sharply with Cara’s pragmatic, survivalist Ashtown upbringing.

Dell’s inner world is revealed through small, significant details. For example, the story of her Japanese grandmother mispronouncing her name as “Dare” (51) suggests Dell’s hidden longing for the boldness and freedom that she sees and is drawn to in Cara. While she outwardly embodies the sterile perfection of Wiley City, she is not immune to its soul-crushing expectations, and her fraught relationship with Cara forces her to confront the limitations of her world and her role within it. Her concern for Cara, which she first expresses as worry over mission parameters or physical injuries, soon evolves into genuine affection, which she shows in many different ways. For example, she lies to protect Cara after the disastrous jump to Earth 175, provides her with sensitive information about Nelline’s death, and ultimately saves her from Adam Bosch by orchestrating her deportation from Wiley City.

The central conflict of Dell’s character is the tension that she feels between her duty to the system and her loyalty to Caralee, and this issue is further exacerbated by her unresolved pain and resentment over Caramenta’s past rejection of her. For years, her behavior is misinterpreted by Cara as classist disdain, when in reality it stems from the original Caramenta’s anti-gay bias and threat of a harassment suit. When the truth is revealed, Dell is forced to reconcile the woman she has come to love with the memory of the woman who hurt her. Her final choice to leave the security of her world to join Cara in Ashtown signifies the completion of her arc, for she transcends the social walls that have defined her, choosing an authentic relationship that bridges multiple worlds.

Nik Nik, whose birth name is Yerjanik Nazarian, is the emperor of Ashtown and the younger brother of Adam Bosch. On many worlds, he embraces a ruthlessly murderous outlook to become the emperor of Ashtown, and he often serves as a critical foil to his brother, representing a different form of power and a stark example of how identity can be shaped by circumstance. The novel presents two primary versions of him: the violent, possessive ruler on Earth Zero and again on Cara’s home world, Earth 22, and the pious, gentle leader on Earth 175. This contrast powerfully illustrates the theme of Identity as Both Static and Fluid, for on Earth 22, Nik Nik is a product of his father’s brutal upbringing, and his displays of affection are inseparable from his acts of violence.

The Nik Nik of Earth 175 is a completely different man. Because his father died when he was only six and did not murder his brother, Adranik, as has happened on many worlds, Adranik lived to take the throne, and this Nik Nik embraced religion rather than succumbing to the darker, violence-loving aspects of himself. As a result, this Nik Nik is principled and compassionate, praying in the desert for a way to stop his brother’s tyranny without resorting to murder. Having seen the cruelty of his brother and father, he actively chooses peace. When he finally takes power in the coup that Cara helps to orchestrate, Nik Nik immediately orders the destruction of his brother’s firearms, demonstrating a commitment to a less violent future. The existence of this version of Nik Nik is deeply healing for Cara, who realizes that although each version of Nik Nik may possess the potential for violence, the monstrousness of the other Nik Niks is only allowed to manifest with such virulence because of specific social and environmental factors.

Jean Sanogo is a senior traverser and Cara’s mentor at the Eldridge Institute. As a respected elder who successfully navigated the transition from a life of hardship to a position of authority in Wiley City, he is a paternal, wise, and pragmatic person who sees Cara’s potential and encourages her to study for the analyst exam so that she can secure a permanent, valued position within the company. Having been a child soldier, he understands the trauma of coming from a violent world, and he shares his wisdom through cultural stories, such as the myth of the goddess Nyame, whom many traversers believe they encounter in the titular “space between worlds.” Jean provides Cara with the guidance and validation she desperately needs, becoming her most stable supporter.

However, Jean’s pragmatism is also his flaw. Having witnessed immense suffering, he has made a difficult peace with the world’s injustices. He is aware of Adam Bosch’s crimes but advises Cara to ignore them, arguing that the powerful operate by their own rules and that survival sometimes requires looking away. His belief is that one can do more good by working within the system than by trying to dismantle it. This creates a significant moral conflict as Cara is forced to choose between his practical advice and her own emerging conscience. Ultimately, Jean sacrifices himself to protect Cara, falsely confessing to her act of whistleblowing. His death is the catalyst for Cara’s final transformation, galvanizing her to punish Adam’s crimes so that Jean’s sacrifice is not in vain.

Esther is Cara’s younger stepsister and a devout leader within the religious community of the Rurals, which are separate from both Ashtown and Wiley City. She functions as a moral compass and a symbol of unconditional love and acceptance. Despite being raised in the piety and poverty of the Rurals, she possesses a quiet strength and a fierce, protective instinct for those she loves and the community she serves. Initially, she is the only member of Cara’s new family who realizes that the protagonist is an imposter from another world. She reveals that she knew from the beginning because Cara’s kindness contradicted the cruelty of Caramenta. As Esther explains, “I prayed for you, and you came. To regret that would be to reject a miracle” (188). This positive reframing of Cara’s identity theft provides Cara with a sense of belonging and validation that she has never known. Esther’s acceptance is crucial to Cara’s inner development, as this is her first relationship on Earth Zero that is not predicated on her performance of a different persona.

The coldly calculating and treacherous Nelline is Cara’s doppelgänger from Earth 175. She is a direct reflection of the person Cara might have become had she never escaped Ashtown and remained entangled with a version of the emperor. Nelline is a hardened survivor who, like Cara, has learned to be cunning and ruthless to survive in a brutal world. As Adranik’s mistress and spy, she has endured extensive abuse, but unlike Cara, her survival instinct has calcified into a remorseless, soul-killing pragmatism that makes her willing to betray her closest allies. For example, she betrays the workers at the House in order to maintain her precarious position with the very emperor she loathes. When Nelline sees an opportunity to escape her world by adding herself to Cara’s jump back to Earth Zero, she takes it without hesitation, not realizing that this act will be the death of her. Nelline represents the moral compromises that Cara herself might have made in similar circumstances, and her treachery haunts Cara with the suspicion that she too has the potential to show such cruelty to those she loves. Nelline’s death during the traverse is symbolic, representing the death of the last vestiges of Cara’s old, purely self-interested identity. When Cara gives Nelline a proper Ashtown burial, she acknowledges and honors this darker aspect of her own identity, taking a painful but necessary step in the arduous process of becoming whole.

As the proprietor of the House, the central institution of community and sex work in downtown Ashtown, Exlee is a figure of ambiguous power. They are a constant across the worlds, providing sanctuary and imposing order with a shrewd, unflappable demeanor. Exlee functions as a surrogate parent to children of the House like Cara, offering protection and guidance where biological parents have failed. Their authority rivals that of the emperor, as they control a network of information and loyalty that is essential to the political stability of the wasteland. Exlee’s support is critical to Nik Nik’s coup on Earth 175, demonstrating that true power in Ashtown flows from community and commerce. Their non-binary presentation and commanding presence challenge traditional hierarchies, making them a symbol of the fluid, resilient, and self-defined nature of Ashtown society.

A high-ranking runner, Mr. Cheeks initially appears as a minor antagonist when he extorts money from Cara at the border of Ashtown. However, he develops into a key ally and is revealed to be a man of deep principle. On Earth 175, he is Nik Nik’s most trusted soldier, demonstrating an intense loyalty that transcends a simple employer-employee relationship. His parallel self on Earth Zero displays a similarly staunch moral core, although he uses it to help Cara and Esther despite his allegiance to the current emperor. In any world, his character illustrates the idea that codes of honor and personal integrity exist even within the brutal hierarchy of the runners. His eventual relationship with Esther on Earth 175 is also hinted to be a possibility on Earth Zero.

Cara’s mother on Earth 22 was born Mellorie and was known as Lorix during her time as a worker at the House. On Earth Zero, she is called Mel after she joins the Rurals and Marries Daniel. She is a tragic figure whose life is defined by addiction and abuse across most worlds, and her negligence often leads to the deaths of Cara’s counterparts on those planes, resulting in the protagonist’s high mortality rate across worlds. On Earth Zero, Cara’s mother has found sobriety and faith, but because Caralee does not behave as Caramenta once did, Mel rejects her, denying her the love and acceptance that she craves. In the end, Mel is both a victim of Ashtown and a perpetrator of generational trauma.

Michael is Esther’s twin brother and Cara’s stepbrother. He represents the rebellious youth of the Rurals, chafing against the pious strictures of his upbringing. His desire to join the runners, a path he follows on both Earth 175 and Earth Zero, demonstrates a rejection of his father’s peaceful ideology and a yearning for the power and identity offered by downtown Ashtown. He feels like an outsider in his own family and is overshadowed by his more devout sister. His defection is a source of great pain for his family but is also portrayed as an act of self-determination, a search for a place in which his aggressive, restless nature can find a home.