Percy Darling

Percy Darling is the protagonist in the story, the widower in The Widower's Tale. Percy is a 70-year-old man who has recently retired from a long career as a librarian at the Widener Library at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Percy lives in a nearby upscale town called Matlock in an historic house that he and his deceased wife bought when they were newly married. Percy is a measured person who likes routine and research and finds himself struggling with all the changes occurring in his life lately, beginning with his retirement.

Percy became a widower when his wife, Poppy, accidentally drowned in the pond on their property when their daughters were teenagers. He has never really gotten over losing Poppy and speaks to her in his mind all the time. Percy tries to be a good father but his daughter Clover tries his patience with her...