| | Trevor | | The hotel owner. |
| | John | Lennon | A singer-songwriter. |
| | Paul | McCartney | A singer-songwriter. |
| | Brian | Epstein | A music entrepreneur. |
| | Mother | | Narrator's mother. Aka: Natalie McCracken. |
| | Narrator | | The unnamed narrator. Aka: Elizabeth McCracken. |
| | The | Girl | The little girl that the narrator met. |
| | Grandmother | | Narrator's grandmother. |
| | New York | Friend | Mother's friend who painted the mirror black. |
| | Collyer | Brothers | A New York millionaire who collected books, paper, and detritus. |
| | Tiny | Tim | Singer with a ukulele. |
| | Dorothy | Hamill | Narrator's former classmate. |
| | Carla | | Narrator's professor. |
| | Mim | | The girl at the London Eye. |
| | Nan | Goldin | An American photographer. |
| | Cholly | | The boy who kept getting away from his mother. |
| | Harry | Potter | A fictional character. |
| | Phillip | Johnson | An American architect. |
| | Frank | | Ex-boyfriend of Narrator's mother. |
| | The | Main Guy | The estate agent. |
| | Aunt | | Narrator's aunt. An artist. |
| | The Estate | Sale Crew | The boss. |
| | Marguerite | | Narrator's friend. |
| | Big Ben | | Narrator's bell. |
| | David | Copperfield | A famous magician. |
| | Great-Aunt | | The sister of Narrator's grandmother. |
| | Brother | | Narrator's brother. |