The unnamed narrator is a 26-year-old woman who hatches a plan to sleep for an entire year to improve her debilitating existential listlessness and free-floating antipathy. With an art history degree from Columbia and a job at an upscale art gallery in Manhattan, the narrator is intelligent and capable but has no interest in engaging with the world around her, given her hatred of “everyone and everything” (17). Uninterested in pursuing a career or developing meaningful relationships, the narrator believes that dedicating an entire year to sleep will enable her to “become a whole new person” (26).

Despite her cynicism, the narrator lives a life of privilege. She is young, beautiful, and—even after being fired from her cushy art gallery job—wealthy enough to live comfortably off an inheritance for several years. While she is dismissive of pop culture and indifferent to fashion trends, she still makes a concerted effort to present herself as rich and attractive, mainly by purchasing designer clothing and receiving regular beauty treatments; she knows these traits render her valuable in society.

A self-described misanthrope, the narrator dislikes both conversation and company. Her relationship with her parents while they were alive was cold and distant, and the lack of parental love has left her distrustful of people.