Lizbet Heaton

Lizbet is the protagonist of the Hotel Nantucket. When the novel begins, Lizbet is recovering from a breakup. Her boyfriend of fifteen years, JJ, cheated on her. She ran a restaurant called the Deck alongside him. Lizbet sees her job at the Hotel Nantucket as an opportunity to start fresh. Lizbet is thirty-eight years old.

Lizbet adores Nantucket, despite all its flaws. She first moved there after graduating from the University of Minnesota. Lizbet has many friends in Nantucket, including the Bicks and the Laytons. She withdraws from society after her breakup, retreating into her job and taking comfort in her professional exertions. Indeed, Lizbet is a workaholic whose self-esteem is tied to her work performance. She pours all her energy into securing a five-key review from Shelly Carpenter to the detriment of her physical and mental health.

Lizbet tends to see the best in people. She...