The Sun Is Also a Star characters

Appears from the start

A practical Jamaican-born teenager living in New York who trusts observable facts more than destiny. On the morning her family is due to be deported, she searches the city for any legal route that might let them stay. She loves science, wants to become a researcher, and refuses to let the day's crisis turn into a sentimental story.

Also known as Daniel

First appears in chapter 2

A Korean American high-school senior on his way to a Yale admissions interview arranged to satisfy his parents. Daniel secretly wants to be a poet and is drawn to chance, emotion, and the possibility that events carry meaning. His encounter with Natasha gives him a reason to delay the future others have planned for him.

First appears in chapter 6

A security guard at the federal immigration offices Natasha visits. Irene performs a small act of kindness during Natasha's desperate morning while carrying private burdens that the hurried visitors around her do not see.

Also known as Charlie

First appears in chapter 8

Daniel's older brother, recently forced to leave Harvard. Charlie is treated as the family's model son despite his own failures, and he directs much of his frustration at Daniel. His contempt for Daniel's ambitions and his hostility toward Natasha sharpen the conflict inside the Bae family.

First appears in chapter 16

Natasha's father, a Jamaican actor whose hopes of performing in America have faded into regret. A serious mistake on his part brought the family's undocumented status to the authorities' attention, creating the deportation crisis Natasha is trying to reverse.

First appears in chapter 16

Natasha's mother, who has built a life for the family in New York while working and managing the consequences of Samuel's disappointments. She is preparing for the enforced return to Jamaica even as Natasha searches for a way to stop it.

First appears in chapter 16

Natasha's younger brother. Peter shares the family's uncertain legal status but has had less control than Natasha over either the decision to leave Jamaica or the threatened removal from New York.

First appears in chapter 43

An immigration attorney to whom Natasha is referred during her last attempt to halt the deportation order. His professional attention may determine whether her family can remain in the country, but his schedule and personal life keep disrupting the certainty she wants.

First appears in chapter 42

Jeremy Fitzgerald's paralegal. Her own unexpected connection with Jeremy unfolds alongside Natasha's urgent legal appointment and contributes to the series of delays shaping the day.

First appears in chapter 94

Daniel and Charlie's father, a Korean immigrant who owns a shop selling Black hair-care products. He regards an elite education and a conventional professional career as protection for his sons, leaving little room for Daniel's desire to write poetry.

First appears in chapter 94

Daniel and Charlie's mother. She shares her husband's hopes for their sons and maintains strong ties to Korean customs, though her way of expressing family expectations is quieter than his.