Richard Bowmaster

Of the book’s three central characters, Richard Bowmaster is arguably its most significant, its actual protagonist, because he undergoes the most significant changes.

As the novel begins, Richard is very much in his comfort zone, even though life in that zone is somewhat UN-comfortable. He has a secure job that pays his bills; he has a secure place to live that also generates some rental income; and he has a regular routine that he adheres to consistently, almost obsessively. He has also become comfortable carrying the burden of a painful past, the nature of which is revealed over the course of the narrative. He knows he is carrying it, and he knows that he should at least try to rid himself of it, but because on some level he feels he deserves to be carrying it, he is not making any effort to do so.

Richard...