The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau

Colette Marceau is the central protagonist and most frequent point-of-view character. Her character arc forms the bulk of the story across both timelines.

Colette is the eldest daughter of Roger Marceau, a French schoolmaster, and Annabel Clement, a woman who grew up in Yorkshire, England. Annabel’s family claims to be descended from Robin Hood, the legendary English bandit who robbed from the rich. Annabel teaches Colette about the family legend, including the tradition of fighting justice by using theft to redistribute wealth that has been unfairly taken. Colette, too, believes that this is a form of justice and righting a wrong. Throughout her life, she steals and uses the money from the stolen jewels to fund various causes like food pantries. Colette adheres to the family’s supposed code that one not steal for personal gain, but when she’s upset, she feels a compulsion to steal, which suggests she gains a different kind of satisfaction from thievery. In the 2018 storyline, Colette is 89 years old, and she’s often amused by the ways she’s underestimated because she’s older. She enjoys it when Marty praises her work and when Aviva is astonished that Colette has operated for decades without getting caught.