Ashima Ganguli
Ashoke’s wife, who also immigrates from Kolkata, India, to the U.S. She struggles with the cultural displacement of living in America but adapts over time. She is a devoted mother and wife, maintaining ties to her Bengali heritage.

Gogol (Nikhil) Ganguli
The protagonist, born in the U.S. to Ashoke and Ashima. Named Gogol at birth, he later changes his name to Nikhil to distance himself from his unusual name and his cultural identity. His journey explores themes of identity, belonging, and self-discovery as a first-generation American.

Sonia Ganguli
Gogol’s younger sister, also born in the U.S. She adapts more easily to American life than Gogol and has a less conflicted relationship with her dual identity.

Maxine Ratliff
Gogol’s American girlfriend for a significant part of the story. She comes from a wealthy, liberal New York family, and her relationship with Gogol highlights his struggle to reconcile his Indian heritage with his American life.

Moushumi Mazoomdar
Gogol’s eventual wife, a Bengali-American woman he meets through family connections. She is an academic and shares a similar cultural background, but their marriage faces challenges due to personal differences and her past.

Ruth
Gogol’s first serious girlfriend during his college years at Yale. She represents his early exploration of relationships outside his cultural sphere, though their romance eventually fades.

Dimitri Desjardins
Moushumi’s former lover and a professor. He reenters her life later in the story, contributing to the unraveling of her marriage to Gogol.

Ghosh
A minor but significant character from Ashoke’s past in India. He is a fellow passenger on the train before the accident and encourages Ashoke to travel and live abroad, influencing his decision to move to the U.S.