So Much to Tell You characters

Appears from the start

A fourteen-year-old girl whose face was badly scarred when acid thrown during a confrontation between her parents struck her. After months in hospital she has stopped speaking. Sent to a boarding school, she begins a diary for English class and records the fear, anger, and close observation that she cannot yet express aloud.

Appears from the start

Marina's father, imprisoned after the acid attack that disfigured his daughter. He remains a powerful absence in Marina's life: she is afraid of what happened, yet she also remembers loving him and cannot reduce her feelings to the account other people give of the crime.

Appears from the start

Marina's mother, who was the intended target of the acid and has struggled to face her daughter's injuries and silence. She arranges care and schooling for Marina but often seems distant, leaving Marina unsure whether she is protected, pitied, or avoided.

Appears from the start

Marina's English teacher at the boarding school. By requiring the class to keep journals, he gives Marina a private form in which she can communicate without being forced to speak. His steady interest treats her as a student rather than only as a patient.

Appears from the start

One of the girls who shares Marina's school life and gradually includes her despite receiving no spoken response. Her ordinary conversation and willingness to persist help Marina move from watching the other students at a distance toward participating in their community.

Appears from the start

A fellow student in Marina's dormitory. She is part of the lively, sometimes difficult group whose friendships, quarrels, and private troubles Marina chronicles. Living beside Lisa helps Marina recognize that the girls she first sees as confident also carry insecurities of their own.