Howard Belsey

Howard Belsey is a 57-year-old man of British descent. He is a professor of Art History at Wellington College, where his studies focus on Rembrandt. Howard has three children, Levi, Zora, and Jerome, with his wife Kiki. Before the events of the novel, Howard has an affair with Claire Malcolm, a poetry professor at Wellington. During the course of the novel, Howard has another affair with Victoria Kipps. At the end of the novel, Howard and Kiki are legally separated.

Howard is a very judgmental person with very specific tastes. His academic studies seep into all other areas of his life, and serves as the basis for very specific preferences, such as not allowing any representational art or music at home. Howard cares deeply about his wife and children, but his actions often reflect the opposite, and reveal a deeper focus on excitement and feeling young again...