48 pages • 1-hour read
Gillian McAllisterA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.
Jen is a successful divorce lawyer living in Liverpool who struggles to balance her demanding career with her family life. She harbors deep guilt over her perceived emotional distance from her husband and son. Following a shocking act of violence committed by her son, she enters an inexplicable time loop that forces her to wake up on consecutive previous days and investigate the circumstances leading to the crime.
Wife of Kelly Brotherhood
Mother of Todd Brotherhood
Colleague of Rakeem Kapoor
Advisee of Professor Andy Vettese
Investigator of Joseph Jones
Acquaintance of Pauline
Kelly is Jen's husband and a self-employed contractor who specializes in restoring vintage homes. He projects a steady and calming presence in the household, grounding his highly strung wife when she experiences the first symptoms of her time loop. Despite his outward normalcy, his behavior during Jen's backward journey raises questions about his past.
Husband of Jen Eagles Brotherhood
Father of Todd Brotherhood
Acquaintance of Clio
Secretly Connected to Joseph Jones
Secretly Connected to Nicola Williams
Secretly Connected to Ezra Michaels
Todd is Jen and Kelly's eighteen-year-old son, known for his quiet intelligence and strong interest in science. His abrupt and violent action against an unknown man outside their home serves as the catalyst for the entire narrative. He operates as a typical secretive teenager, hiding a new romance and questionable employment from his parents.
Son of Jen Eagles Brotherhood
Son of Kelly Brotherhood
Boyfriend of Clio
Friend of Connor
Attacker of Joseph Jones
Employee of Ezra Michaels
Secretly Connected to Nicola Williams
Joseph is the shadowy stranger who approaches the Brotherhood residence and is subsequently attacked. As the timeline moves backward, he is revealed to be a recently released convict tied to the business where the local teenagers work. He maintains a polite but deeply unsettling demeanor during everyday interactions.
Victim of Todd Brotherhood
Opponent of Jen Eagles Brotherhood
Business Partner of Ezra Michaels
Secretly Connected to Kelly Brotherhood
Ryan is a young, idealistic rookie police officer operating in Liverpool two decades prior to the main timeline. Driven to public service by a family tragedy, he quickly finds himself disillusioned by the paperwork and bureaucracy of routine law enforcement. He actively seeks opportunities to make a tangible difference in his community.
Future Contact of Nicola Williams
Subordinate to Ezra Michaels
Clio is a striking teenager and the new romantic interest of the protagonist's son. She provides a direct link between the local high schoolers and her uncle's business operations. She is intensely private about her relationship and deflects questions from concerned parents.
Andy is a theoretical physicist specializing in the relationship between human memory and time. He provides a crucial scientific framework for the protagonist, explaining the concept of a closed loop and offering practical advice on how to navigate the phenomenon.
Advisor to Jen Eagles Brotherhood
Friend of Rakeem Kapoor
Ezra is a local business owner who operates Cutting & Sewing out of a dilapidated property. He hires local teenagers for what appears to be ordinary office work while managing more complicated logistical operations at the city docks.
Rakeem is a practical and supportive colleague at the divorce law firm. When a friend approaches him with a seemingly irrational story about living days out of order, he responds with sympathy and connects her with a physicist rather than dismissing her concerns.
Colleague of Jen Eagles Brotherhood
Friend of Professor Andy Vettese
Nicola is a woman who was attacked just two days prior to the primary incident at the Brotherhood home. Her name surfaces on hidden communication devices, linking her directly to the broader mystery unfolding across the city.
Secretly Connected to Todd Brotherhood
Secretly Connected to Kelly Brotherhood
Professional Contact of Ryan Hiles
Connor is a local high school student who communicates secretly with his peers through video game chat systems. His cautious behavior and hidden messages suggest a deeper involvement in the activities occurring outside of school hours.
Friend of Todd Brotherhood
Son of Pauline
Pauline is a local mother who interacts with other parents at the school gates. She represents the normal, everyday parental anxieties that contrast sharply with the extreme situation facing her acquaintances.
Mother of Connor
Acquaintance of Jen Eagles Brotherhood