A first-generation Chinese immigrant who functions as a live-in babysitter for her daughter's family. She experiences the cultural dissonance of her daily life entirely in her second language, English. She holds traditional views on discipline and family roles, causing friction with her Americanized daughter and Irish American son-in-law.

An insurance agent attending a professional conference while staying at a low-budget "welfare hotel." He carries intense grief over the breakdown of his marriage and the loss of a pregnancy. He is careful, precise with his words, and highly attuned to the microaggressions he faces in the corporate world.

A reflective woman processing the recent death of her mother. The present-day crisis prompts her to look back at her fifth-grade self, a time when she desperately sought religious miracles as a defense against her parents' volatile and sometimes violent marriage.

A complex father and businessman who takes over a pancake house to fund his daughters' college educations. He strives to run his business according to his interpretation of American ideals, though his management style frequently clashes with actual American labor expectations and his wife's views.

An idealistic American who travels to China to teach English at a coal mining institute. He holds romanticized views of Chinese art, culture, and his own heritage, hoping the journey will cure his lack of direction. He identifies strongly with a uniquely American sense of persistent hope.

A survivor of the Cultural Revolution who acts as an overseer and cynical mentor to Duncan. He is protective of his position and highly skeptical of Duncan's naive, romantic worldview, frequently challenging his American assumptions.

An expectant mother and garden designer hosting a baby shower. She acts as a detached observer within her own life, using a camera to distance herself from the looming arrivals of both her first child and her newly single mother.

A young boy who spends his time speculating about the mysterious, closed-off household of his Chinese neighbors. By intensely focusing on the drama next door, he avoids looking at the growing tensions within his own family.

An architect reflecting on her transition from an innocent college student into a divorced mother of three. Her memories center on how her marriage to a much older professor shaped her life, taught her both art and survival, and ultimately pushed her toward true independence.

The Americanized daughter of The Grandmother who has married into an Irish American family. She struggles to balance respect for her mother with the modern, non-corporal parenting style she insists upon using for her daughter.

Natalie's Irish American husband. He is currently out of work and experiencing depression, a state that baffles his traditional Chinese mother-in-law and adds strain to the household dynamics.

The young daughter of Natalie and John. Her mixed Chinese and Irish heritage is a frequent subject of her grandmother's observation, categorization, and scrutiny.

John's Irish American mother. She heads a large family and possesses a natural authority that immediately commands the attention and obedience of her children.

Art Woo's "birthmate" and professional competitor in the insurance industry. He is sloppy with language and careless in his behavior, yet easily succeeds and takes risks in ways Art feels he cannot.

Art Woo's estranged wife. She left him sometime after a failed pregnancy and attends grief counseling, using plain and precise emotional language that Art initially rejects as a defense mechanism.

The wife of Ralph Chang and mother to Mona and the protagonist. She oscillates between traditional Chinese values and a growing desire to assimilate into American high society, specifically longing for a prestigious country club membership.

The younger sister of the protagonist in the Chang family stories. She actively pushes her family toward upward mobility, even asking a friend's mother to sponsor them for a country club membership.

A childhood friend of the "The Water Faucet Vision" Protagonist. She comes from a broken home and shares her friend's desperate hope that faith and religious miracles can fix their domestic problems.

A student at the institute with a mysterious past related to the Cultural Revolution. She is pragmatic and highly focused on securing a better future for her daughter, leading to a profound miscommunication with her American teacher.

A student of Duncan's who accompanies him on a trip to the mountain. He serves as an observant presence during the excursion and secretly files official reports on the group's behavior.

Duncan's cousin in China. He lives a harsh, practical reality that shatters Duncan's romanticized vision of his ancestral family, and he clearly expects his American cousin to help him emigrate.

Guotai's young son. He endures physical punishment from his father and is pushed into uncomfortable situations during their dinner with Duncan.

Louise's nineteen-year-old daughter. She represents a sudden, unexpected proposition for Duncan that forces him to reevaluate his romantic assumptions entirely.

Addie's mother, who announces at the baby shower that her husband is leaving her. She stubbornly refuses to act as live-in help "American-style," resisting the expectations placed upon her by her daughter's social circle.

Addie's husband. He attempts to manage the logistical challenges of a growing family and a shrinking condo when his mother-in-law suddenly needs a place to live.

Addie's brother, affectionately referred to as "Neddie the Absent." He struggles with his mental health and holds a unique, almost invisible position within the family hierarchy.

One of Addie's brothers. He steps in to help draw up plans and organize labor to convert Addie's closet into an office space for her design work.

The narrator's neighbor and classmate. He is subjected to intense pressure and frequent beatings by his father, who demands he become a doctor. He exists primarily as an object of speculation for the narrator's family.

Chin's demanding father. He bears a visible physical scar from an untreated infection and pushes his son relentlessly toward a medical career, using harsh corporal punishment to ensure obedience.

The father of the "Chin" Narrator. He eagerly watches the drama next door, providing constant commentary on the Chins' lifestyle while ignoring the serious fractures within his own marriage until they culminate in an outburst.

The mother of the "Chin" Narrator. She quietly harbors an infatuation with her daughter's fiancé, contributing heavily to the subtle, unaddressed tension in her own home.

A Chinese immigrant working off the books at Ralph Chang's pancake house. He brings other undocumented workers to the restaurant, finding brief sanctuary under Ralph's erratic but generous management.

Pammie's much older former art professor and ex-husband. He approaches life with a restless, American freedom that contrasts sharply with Pammie's disciplined upbringing, though his influence eventually stifles her own professional ambitions.

A teacher's aide whom Pammie meets at her children's school. His presence prompts Pammie to reevaluate her past and consider the possibilities of a new, more equal relationship.