Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses the novel’s misrepresentation of mental health conditions and its depiction of mental health crises, psychological manipulation, suicidal ideation and attempted suicide, and mentions of sexual violence.

Charlie Jordan is a 20-year-old student at Olyphant University and the protagonist of the novel. She has an intense obsession with films, which she shares with her grandmother, Nana Norma. Her obsession with movies started after her parents’ deaths, using them to cope with her grief and life. Through her love for movies, she became knowledgeable about film history and took film as her major in college. By the end of the novel, she becomes an archivist for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. However, she also became over-reliant on film to cope with the pain and stress of life, leading her to see movies in her mind. Rather than living her life and forming relationships with other people besides Nana Norma, Maddy, and Robbie, she prefers to watch movies on the television or in her mind. This issue eventually conflicted with Maddy’s outgoing personality. Their clashing personalities strained their friendship and led to Charlie’s argument with Maddy outside the bar, after which Charlie walked away from Maddy before her murder.