Sex and Vanity: A Novel

George is a primary, static character. He is an only child, and his mother is Rosemary Zao. George surfaces in the narrative as one of Isabel’s wedding guests. He and his mother are from Hong Kong but have houses in various locations across the world. George has also spent time studying and living in Australia.

George confuses Lucie when they first meet at the Hotel Bertolucci in Capri, Italy. In particular, George “gaz[es] at her with an intensity that she [finds] a little disconcerting” (30). Furthermore, George is clad in an understated outfit that Lucie finds inappropriate and incongruent with their high-society company. Despite her initial judgments, Lucie can’t deny that George is handsome and that she feels “a strange, almost electrical charge” between them (30). Their meeting ignites Lucie’s complex feelings for George and thus incites the primary narrative tension. George disrupts Lucie’s controlled self-presentation and insular, affluent world. He contrasts with the other members of high society and refuses to tailor his behavior, appearance, and speech to their expectations. At times, Lucie finds his rebelliousness frustrating and embarrassing. At other times, she feels compelled and intrigued by George’s unconventional mode of operating.

George’s character challenges Lucie to examine her feelings and wants, who she is, and who she hopes to become. Whenever Lucie is around George, she experiences intense, inarticulable emotions. George doesn’t press Lucie to express or present herself in any particular way. Rather, he listens to her and engages her authentically. Often, he doesn’t say anything at all. Even his quietness draws Lucie to him because he affords her the space no one else has ever given her. George particularly confounds Lucie because she has “never really known an Asian guy before” (73). Unlike her brother, Freddie, George doesn’t behave “like the quintessential WASP” (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) and thus excites and challenges her in new ways (73). George’s character stands out in Lucie’s otherwise homogenous society. He allows her to imagine how she could rebel and be different, too. George ultimately expresses his feelings for Lucie in Part 2, a profession that later inspires Lucie to end her engagement to Cecil to be with George. Unlike Cecil, George sees Lucie for who she is. He doesn’t question her pain, grief, and flaws. He also validates her desires and dreams and doesn’t try to change her. George’s static nature is essential to Lucie’s evolution. His consistency of character grants Lucie the space to explore her identity without fear of losing George.

Charlotte is a secondary, static character. She is one of Lucie’s cousins and Lucie’s chaperone and companion when she travels to Capri, Italy, for Isabel’s wedding. In Part 1, Charlotte is in her mid-forties and single. As a member of high society, she has an elitist sensibility and treats almost everyone around her with disdain or condescension. Lucie and her brother, Freddie, have always referred to her as “‘Madam Buzzkill’ behind her back” (21), but Lucie tries to ignore Charlotte’s irritating behaviors throughout their time in Capri. Charlotte complains and makes a scene whenever she feels wronged. For example, she complains to hotel management when she and Lucie don’t get the rooms with the ocean views that they requested. She later complains about the food at the hotel restaurant and publicly ridicules Rosemary and George for trying to offer her their rooms. Lucie does her best not to respond to Charlotte’s antics because she’s learned to accept Charlotte’s privileged tactlessness.

Charlotte’s showy behaviors are the result of her elitist, monied background. She’s grown up as a member of the upper class and learned to navigate the world through her privileged lens. Her pretension is a symptom of her social standing and high-society lifestyle. Further, Charlotte highlights the absurdity and excess of her milieu. Charlotte’s hyperbolic reactions to others’ clothing, behavior, foods, and accommodations create a subtextual commentary on the ultra-wealthy and their exclusive tastes and codes of conduct.

Charlotte’s character also plays a significant role in Lucie’s character arc and personal evolution. In Part 1, Lucie perceives Charlotte as a barrier to her desires. She tries to behave in front of Charlotte because she believes that Charlotte will report back to their picky, judgmental grandmother if Lucie makes any wrong decisions. In Part 2, Lucie perceives Charlotte as the antagonist of her story. She blames Charlotte for telling Olivia Lavistock about her and George (and thus for the production of Olivia’s film) and for her and George’s alleyway kiss outside the theater. She directs her frustration at Charlotte because she’s an easy target with whom she feels comfortable expressing her anger. However, Charlotte ultimately proves to be Lucie’s scapegoat. She ends up sanctioning Lucie’s feelings for George and confessing her lifelong desire to protect and care for her younger cousin. Charlotte’s character remains unchanged throughout the novel, but Lucie’s perception of her evolves from beginning to end.