Content Warning: This novel contains references to self-harm, domestic abuse, and intense violence.

Charlie is the protagonist and main point-of-view character of Book of Night. She comes from an underprivileged upbringing and, as an adult, becomes a successful con artist; in the chapters about her childhood, the Influence of the Past on her present is most clear. Charlie was pushed into a life of dishonesty by desperation, and the manipulation of trusted adults like Rand, although within the criminal underworld, she finds an unexpected sense of belonging. On her first job with Rand, she discovered that ensnaring people through a con can be a form of shapeshifting through which she could, however briefly, leave her dissatisfying existence behind.

As Charlie progressed in her skill, she discovered a community that welcomed her for who she was and gave her the validation she wasn’t receiving from her own family. For this reason, she returned to them when Rand’s death could have given her a way out. From this point forward, her fate was cemented. However, when the novel opens, Charlie is attempting to leave that life behind to create a better future for her younger sister Posey. However, she’s drawn back by her curiosity, a personality trait which in her case is both a drawback and an asset.