The Someday Birds

Ludmila is a secondary character. She comes into Charlie’s life just after Dad is injured in Afghanistan. She is in “her twenties or thirties, with bright pink spiky hair and thin silver rings in her nose and ears” (14). The first time Charlie’s family meets her, Ludmila shows up at the hospital unannounced with “a scabby-looking new tattoo on her right hand” (14). She becomes a fixture at the hospital, although Charlie and his siblings don’t know who she is or why she’s interested in Dad. When Gram calls her to come and watch them after Gram goes to Virginia with Dad, the siblings fear that Ludmila doesn’t have good intentions and wants something from their family. As a result, Ludmila’s character is used to heighten the narrative tension and add new conflict to Charlie’s story.

Over the course of their cross-country trip, Charlie and his siblings get to know Ludmila and become attached to her. The longer they’re on the road together, the more Ludmila opens up to them. They soon learn that Ludmila and her brother Amar “were born in Bosnia, and got caught in the siege of Sarajevo” (105). When she was nine and Amar was 12, their father, grandfather, and mother died in the conflict. Ludmila relied on Amar to protect her. With the help of a couple called the Liebowitzes, who were journalists, Ludmila and her brother eventually traveled to safety in the United States. Over the years following, Ludmila was passed between foster homes and struggled to feel settled. When she and Amar were reunited, she felt hurt by Amar’s decision to join the military. One of Amar’s tours in Afghanistan ultimately led to his death when the jeep he was driving with Charlie’s Dad ran into a bomb.

In the narrative present, Ludmila becomes involved with Charlie’s family because she sees their father as her last connection to her late brother. She feels alone in the world and is often overcome by sorrow because of everything she’s lost. However, the more time she spends with Charlie and his siblings, the more attached she becomes to them. She proves herself to be not only trustworthy, but kindhearted, empathetic, and loving. Charlie becomes particularly attached to her, as hearing her story helps him to understand his own difficulties, sorrows, and anxieties.

Robert, or Dad, is a secondary character. He is Charlie, Davis, Jake, and Joel’s father and Gram’s son. Dad is “an English teacher and a part-time journalist” (4). He travels to Afghanistan shortly before the narrative present to interview soldiers and write profiles on their stories. During this trip, Dad is injured when his jeep hits a bomb. He survives “because he [gets] thrown into the air away from the explosion” (4). However, Dad sustains head injuries that leave him hospitalized. In turn, Charlie feels lost and alone without Dad at home. Unlike Gram, “Dad’s love [isn’t] tough”; he “never los[es] his temper, or freak[s] out with worrying, or trie[s] so hard to control everything” that Charlie and his siblings do (2). Dad has a calming and stabilizing presence that Charlie has come to rely upon. His hospitalization therefore upsets Charlie’s once-predictable world and heightens his anxiety.

Dad’s character also invests in Charlie in ways that feel particularly meaningful to Charlie. For example, Dad is the one who has supported Charlie’s love of birds by buying him special bird books and taking him to the canyon to look for birds Charlie likes. Although Charlie doesn’t like being outside, Dad gets him to “go walking on the trails with him,” experiences which help them to bond and make Charlie feel seen by his dad (19). Throughout the novel, Charlie often remembers these outings and tries to be strong for Dad. He particularly hopes that he can make Dad proud by finding as many birds as possible from their Someday Birds List—a list of birds they hope to find someday —on his behalf. Although Dad is physically absent throughout the narrative, Charlie is often thinking and worrying about him. His presence therefore stays with Charlie and gives him the hope and courage he needs to overcome adversity.

Davis is a secondary character. She is Charlie, Joel, and Jake’s older sister, and Robert’s only daughter and eldest child. For as long as Charlie can remember, Davis has helped him to understand “anything that has to do with feelings” (2). He sees her as “the expert on that kind of stuff” and relies upon her advice and guidance to understand other people and to navigate the world (2). However, Davis is 15 years old in the narrative present and trying to discover her own sense of self. She’s often distracted with her boyfriends or crushes and repeatedly gets annoyed with Charlie for being too particular, taking too much time washing his hands, or talking too much about birds. As a result, Charlie fears that he’s losing Davis as his friend, confidante, and guide. He feels especially abandoned by her after the incident with Jonathan Dylan Davies.

Davis proves herself to be a caring and empathetic character despite Charlie’s frustrations with her. Over the course of the family’s cross-country road trip, Davis begins to invest more time in her relationship with Charlie. She is constantly worrying about her and her siblings’ well-being. In particular, she originally suspects Ludmila of being untrustworthy because she fears that Ludmila will do something to harm her and her brothers. Ultimately, Davis discovers her suspicions were incorrect and begins to show interest in Ludmila’s life too. Her conversations with Ludmila and with Charlie throughout the narrative illustrate her desire to connect with others in a genuine way.

Gram is a minor character. She is Charlie, Davis, Joel, and Jake’s grandmother and Robert’s mother. Gram often helps out with her grandchildren because their mother died when they were young. For some time, Charlie is “scared of Gram,” but Davis helps him to understand “that’s just Gram’s way, tough love” (2). Gram becomes particularly present in the children’s lives when Dad is injured in Afghanistan and sustains a brain injury. However, she can’t stay with them after Dad is sent to Virginia for more medical attention. Her character is physically removed from the children throughout the majority of the novel, as she is on the East Coast during their time on the road. At the novel’s end, Charlie realizes how much Gram loves him and his siblings when they reunite at the hospital after his adventure at the marsh. Gram’s character is another stabilizing fixture in Charlie’s life.