Line #37 Characters/TheSilkworm


1	This page is for character introduced in the novel ''Literature/TheSilkworm''. For characters who appear across [[Literature/CormoranStrikeNovels the series]] see '''[[Characters/CormoranStrikeNovels here]]'''.
2
3
4	[[foldercontrol]]
5
6	!The Quine Family
7	[[folder: Owen Quine]]
8	!! Owen Quine
9	-->'''Played by''': Jeremy Swift
10
11	A mediocre novelist with an inflated opinion of himself. Strike is hired to find him when he disappears.
12	----
13
14	* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: How he blackmailed [[spoiler:Liz]] upon [[spoiler:Michael Fancourt's first wife's suicide]], which only he knows [[spoiler:was caused by a scathing review Liz wrote]]. [[spoiler: Like so many examples of the trope [[BlackmailBackfire this eventually gets him killed]] although, unusually, it took years before it happened.]]
15	* DeadArtistsAreBetter: Considering the connection his last book has to his own murder, everyone expects it to be a bestseller regardless of its actual quality. Strike notes that Quine's death also allows his loved ones to carry on with their misguided beliefs that he was a good person.
16	* [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes Even Jerkasses Have Loved Ones]]: He seems to genuinely care about his daughter, and [[spoiler: the final novel he actually wrote seems to have been quite kind to Pippa and Kath]].
17	* OneHitWonder: His first novel ''Hobart's Sin'' was a great success with the critics, but nothing he has written since has come even close to match it. [[invoked]]
18	* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Orlando was a twin, and her brother, Owen's son, died at birth.
19	* PetTheDog:
20	** His love for his daughter Orlando.
21	** Also the revelation that [[spoiler:he really ''did'' write a loving and affectionate story about Katherine and Pippa, it was just covered up by Liz]].
22	** He stood by Joe North, during a time where associating with AIDS victims was extremely stigmatized.
23	** He defended Walgrave when he was being mocked over his wife's affair with Fancourt, which may be why Walgrave stood by him for so long.
24	* PlotTriggeringDeath: Strike’s investigation of his disappearance and murder forms the plot of the novel.
25	* SmallNameBigEgo: His novels after ''Hobart's Sin'' were panned and he never enjoyed much commercial success or fame. This doesn't stop him from believing himself to be a misunderstood genius.
26	* TheCharmer: He comes across as a sleazy jerk, but before his death he had a surprising number of women devoted to him. Several characters note that he could turn on the charm when he really wanted to.
27	* TheFriendNobodyLikes: It’s hard to understand how Quine is still considered part of the literary world considering Jerry Waldegrave is the only one who can tolerate the man.
28	* WeUsedToBeFriends: Michael, Liz, and Owen were all friends, but were gradually driven apart over time, professional jealousy, and death.
29	[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder: Leonora Quine]]
32	!! Leonora Quine
33	-->'''Played by''': Monica Dolan
34
35	Owen Quine’s long suffering wife.
36	----
37	* TheCaretaker: She is the only one who takes care of her daughter Orlando.
38	* {{Foil}}: Leonora Quine is an excellent foil for Cormoran's [[Literature/TheCuckoosCalling previous client, John Bristow]]. John is an unusually extroverted man; fiercely protective of his surviving family; convinced that his sister's death was a murder rather than a suicide; [[spoiler:flies under the radar of both the police and Strike for the entire case; and is ultimately revealed to be Lula's killer]]. Leonora is an unusually introverted woman; shows subtle but devoted concern about her daughter's health at all times, even ahead of her own well-being; shows little to no interest in her husband's whereabouts following his disappearance, [[spoiler:and takes his death with an unusual amount of grace]]. [[spoiler:[[IncriminatingIndifference She is immediately tagged as a suspect in his murder]], and is even arrested at one point. Unlike Bristow, however, she is completely innocent.]]
39	* LoveMartyr: Owen treated her like shit for decades, but she stuck with him through it all.
40	* NoSocialSkills: Leonora comes off as extremely brusque in her dealing with everyone except her daughter and doesn’t display many emotions when you would expect her to. [[spoiler:[[IncriminatingIndifference This helps convince the police and the press that she murdered her husband.]]]]
41	* TextualCelebrityResemblance: She is compared to a long-haired Rose West [[spoiler:by the British press when she is first arrested for Quine's murder]].
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder: Orlando Quine]]
45	!!Orlando Quine
46	-->'''Played by''': Sarah Gordy
47
48	Owen Quine’s mentally disabled daughter.
49	----
50	* DaddysGirl: Which is ironic, since Leonora looks after her all the time and Owen is barely ever present.
51	* GenderBlenderName: Orlando is a... unique name for a girl, although quite suitable for the daughter of an author known to blend gender themes.
52	* MoralityPet: For Owen, who is otherwise a totally unlikeable JerkAss.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	!The Publishing Industry
56	[[folder: Elizabeth Tassel]]
57	!! Elizabeth Tassel
58	-->'''Played by''': Lia Williams
59
60	Owen Quine’s long-time literary agent.
61	----
62	* IncurableCoughOfDeath: She spends the entire book with a wheezing cough [[spoiler:which is actually a side effect of inhaling fumes from hydrochloric acid]].
63	* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Her obsession with [[spoiler:Michael Farncourt]] led to her [[spoiler:writing the review that pushed his wife to suicide]].
64	* MeanBoss: Her employees are absolutely terrified of her.
65	* MostWritersAreMale: Her pet peeve. Men like Owen and Fancourt are happy enough to have women review their work, and are especially happy with their female fans, but Lord forbid a woman actually dare to write a book herself.
66	* OldMaid: She's in her 60s and never married, but she's also associated with the less pleasant parts of this trope, such as being ugly and abrasive.
67	* SamusIsAGirl: That piece of writing by Michael Fancourt in Oxford? She wrote it. This is also [[spoiler:a hint that she also wrote the other version of Bombyx Mori]].
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder: Jerry Waldegrave]]
71	!!Jerry Waldegrave
72	-->Played by: Dominic Mafham
73
74	Owen Quine’s long-time editor.
75	----
76	* TheAlcoholic: He turns to the bottle after the ''Bombyx Mori'' debacle destroys his career.
77	* [[BeleagueredAssistant Beleaguered Editor]]: He has spent years putting up with Quine’s crap and delusions of grandeur.
78	* BerserkButton: Absolutely loses it when his estranged wife rings him on his daughter's phone.
79	* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's gentle and genial for the vast majority of the book, but has a ''very'' nasty argument with his ex-wife in public while drunk.
80	* ButtMonkey: PlayedForDrama When the contents of ''Bombyx Mori'' come to light, it destroys his career, costs him his marriage, and turns him into an alcoholic.
81	* FamilyMan: He genuinely adores his spoiled daughter, and it devastates him when [[spoiler:Bombyx Mori reveals she isn't actually his daughter to everyone, although this revelation turns out to be false]].
82	* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: His daughter Johanna may be the product of an affair between his wife and Fancourt; ''she'' seems to think so. [[spoiler: Turns out that Fancourt's infertile, so she likely is Jerry's biological daughter]].
83	* OffTheWagon: He's a reformed alcoholic who turns back to the booze after ''Bombyx Mori'' spills his darkest secrets.
84	* OnlySaneMan: With the possible exception of Leonara he comes across as the most rational and stable person in Quine's life.
85	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: He resigns from his job during the investigation, to the shock of his compatriots. Given what he's gone through, it's hard to blame him.
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder: Michael Fancourt]]
89	!!Michael Fancourt
90	-->'''Played by''': Peter Sullivan
91
92	A famous bestselling author with a decades-old feud with Quine.
93	----
94	* AdaptationalNameChange: He's called Andrew in the TV adaptation, for reasons not entirely clear.
95	* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: He actually writes novels geared toward the people who analyze in this fashion.[[invoked]]
96	* HappilyMarried: He was genuinely devastated by his first wife's suicide and seems to have cared for her.
97	* {{Hypocrite}}: He is furious at both Liz and Owen for the anonymous parody of his wife's work, believed to be written by Owen, that drove her to suicide. But according to Liz Tassel, he had made a career out of similar writings.
98	* {{Jerkass}}: The man is a misogynistic asshole.
99	* StrawMisogynist: Exemplified by his explanation why MostWritersAreMale… women with children simply cannot write good literature, apparently.
100	* WeUsedToBeFriends: Back in the day, he and Quine used to be extremely close.
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder: Daniel Chard]]
104	!!Daniel Chard
105	-->Played by: Creator/TimMcInnerny
106
107	The president of Roper-Chard, a London publishing house that specializes in modern literature.
108	----
109	* DepravedHomosexual: Played with. His handsome male staff members seem scared of him, with one even implied to have ''attacked'' him (possibly due to unwelomce advances), and he's definitely creepy. [[spoiler:But he's not the murderer]].
110	* EntertaininglyWrong: He's convinced that Jerry Waldegrave helped Quine write ''Bombyx Mori''. His logic behind this is a bit sketchy, and he's wrong.
111	* NoSocialSkills: His behavior is ''bizarre'', to put it mildly.
112	* TransparentCloset: He is assumed to be gay by most of the characters.
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder: Nina Lascelles]]
116	!! Nina Lascelles
117
118	A junior editor at Roper Chard.
119	----
120	* AdaptedOut: She isn't present in the TV adaptation.
121	* AnimalMotifs: Frequently compared to a mouse.
122	* GirlOfTheWeek: She has a sexual relationship with Strike for a good part of the novel. They grow more distant after the murder and his conduct in the investigation upset her.
123	* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: She's happy to flout her boss's orders to remain silent on ''Bombyx Mori'' and helps steal a copy of the book with Strike. He notes that since her father is a Queen's Counsel, there's not much Roper Chard can do to punish her.
124	[[/folder]]
125
126	!Others
127
128	[[folder: Kathryn Kent]]
129	!! Kathryn Kent
130	-->Played by: Dorothy Atkinson
131
132	Quine’s mistress and talentless aspiring writer.
133	----
134	* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: She eventually becomes cordial towards Cormoran and Robin, once she realizes that he wasn’t sent by Leonora to harm or [[{{Frameup}} frame]] her.]]
135	* HerCodeNameWasMarySue: Her writing is absolutely dreadful and has been rejected by every publisher in London.
136	* HypocriticalHumor: Her blog is [[RougeAnglesOfSatin rife with misspellings and grammatical errors]], yet she has a tongue-in-cheek "Keep Clam and Proofread" coffee mug.
137	* IWasQuiteALooker: Uses a photo on her blog that Strike judges as both "very flattering" and "ten years out of date".
138	* ParentalSubstitute: To Pippa.
139	* SmallNameBigEgo: She's nowhere near as bad as Quine, but is convinced that her poorly written erotica is actually "quite literary" and was only rejected by publishers because they weren't visionary enough.
140	* ThoseTwoGuys: After a certain point in the novel, she only appears or is mentioned together with Pippa.
141	[[/folder]]
142
143	[[folder: Pippa Midgley]]
144	!! Pippa Midgley
145
146	A transgender woman undergoing therapy ahead of gender reassignment surgery. She was very close with Quine and Kathryn.
147	----
148	* AdaptedOut: She also isn't present in the TV adaptation.
149	* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: She eventually becomes cordial towards Cormoran and Robin, once she realizes that he wasn’t sent by Leonora to harm or [[{{Frameup}} frame]] her.]]
150	* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Her attempts to deal with [[spoiler:Strike]] are downright laughable.
151	* ThoseTwoGuys: After a certain point in the novel, she only appears or is mentioned together with Kathryn.
152	* TransTribulations: Makes constant reference to having suffered these, but they're mostly PlayedForLaughs.

Context Characters / TheSilkworm