The Sweetest Oblivion

Nicolas (Nico) Russo is a primary character. He is the male love interest, or romantic hero of the novel. While most of the characters call Nicolas “Nico,” Elena refuses to shorten his name until she acknowledges her feelings for him. This guide primarily refers to him as Nicolas when Elena is still referring to him by his full name, and as Nico in the sections after Elena starts shortening his name.

Nico is a mafia don—or the head of the Russo crime family. He assumed this position after his father Antonio Russo’s death. At just 29 years old, he is the youngest don in history. Nico takes this role seriously and shows no qualms about exercising the authority imbued him by the title. He is violent, aggressive, intolerant, and callous. In the context of his job, these character traits garner respect from his men. However he also exhibits these traits in his interpersonal relationships. At first, Elena is repelled by Nico’s egotistical behavior. Over time however, she finds his aggression arousing. Her attraction to Nico’s violent nature is a symptom of the world she’s grown up in; this phenomenon also suggests that Elena likes aggression in the sexual realm, but that these preferences extend beyond the proverbial bedroom. Lori’s representation of Nico’s violence and Elena’s positive response to it straddles the line between consent and sexual assault, kink and abuse.

Nico’s relationship with Elena impacts how he sees himself. At the start of the novel, Nico tries to ignore how attractive Elena is. Over time he proves powerless to dismiss his desire for her. The more he acts on his feelings the more wary he is of ruining his reputation, compromising his relationship with the Abellis, and inciting the scorn of his own family. Because he’s a don, he soon transcends these concerns by signing a marriage contract with Salvatore over Elena. He is thrilled when Elena moves in with him after their engagement because he feels he can control her now. He asserts his power and dominance in often morally dubious ways. To Elena, Nico’s behavior is a sign of his strength, prowess, and devotion to her. To Nico, being with Elena feels different than being with any other woman. He falls in love with her and is thus determined to secure her loyalty to him. He does make affectionate gestures toward Elena that are narrative attempts to soften his character; for example, he gives her the coffeemaker and surprises her with the carousel. However, Nico has a resoundingly steely persona that shows little signs of evolution by the novel’s end. He does learn how to listen to Elena better, but his character is largely immutable. His near lack of evolution suggests that it is Nico’s audacious and forceful traits that Elena values.

Adriana Abelli is a secondary character. She is Elena’s younger sister and Salvatore and Celia’s youngest daughter. She also lives on Long Island with her family and is immersed in the Cosa Nostra. At the start of the novel, Adriana is emotionally distraught because Salvatore has just arranged her marriage to Nico. Adriana dislikes Nico on principle, but she’s also averse to the marriage because she’s in love with the family gardener, Ryan. She tries to secretly continue her affair with Ryan even after her and Nico’s engagement, but eventually calls it off in an attempt to accept her father’s fate for her. In the subsequent days, she starts planning her wedding and trying to get to know Nico. These efforts don’t last long because Adriana soon discovers that she’s pregnant. This discovery offers her an escape from her father’s control and her marital contract with Nico. She ends up getting engaged to Ryan and feels happier by the novel’s end.

Elena and Adriana don’t spend much time together, but when they are in each other’s company, Elena often regrets her failure to invest in her sister more. Throughout the novel, the sisters are depicted in intimate scenes when they’re feeling most vulnerable. They’ll lie in bed together, watch movies, share the couch, go for swims, or engage in deep conversations. Adriana is the first person whom Elena tells about what happened with her late lover; she finds an unexpected confidante in her younger sister. Adriana also learns that she can trust Elena with her personal affairs, and opens up to her about love, Ryan, and the baby. She plays a supporting role in Elena’s story. She is also a narrative device used to create conflict between Elena and Nico—they can’t be together as long as Adriana and Nico are engaged.

Salvatore and Celia Abelli are secondary characters. They are Elena and Adriana’s parents. Salvatore is a mafia boss and Celia is his wife. Because they’ve been married for some time, Celia is accustomed to Salvatore’s work and what life in the Cosa Nostra entails. She most often defers to Salvatore’s plans and demands; for example, she doesn’t contest the marriage he arranges between Nico and Adriana. However, she does get upset when Salvatore later signs Elena over to Nico—convinced that Elena can’t withstand an aggressive character like Nico and that Salvatore is thus endangering her. Celia’s character flits in and out of Elena’s storyline, and is most often depicted in the kitchen cooking or eating. These depictions render her a trope; as a woman, wife, and mother, she is only an appendage to her husband’s identity.

Salvatore’s character is also a trope, in that he embodies the domineering, intolerant father figure who rules his familial domain. He is most often depicted in his office working on indistinct tasks or meeting with groups of men in the mafia families. He is also responsible for arranging his daughters’ fates—marriage contracts he signs in order to protect the family reputation or to form new alliances.

Elena perceives Salvatore as a threat to her freedom and autonomy. She is constantly beholden to him and feels especially frustrated by his controlling behaviors in the narrative present. She knows he’s still angry with her about her ex-lover and fears that he’ll never forgive her. She finally stands up to him when she returns to Nico’s house in Chapter 41 and confronts him in Chapter 50. His character also creates conflict in Elena’s storyline and between her and Nico.