Louise is the most reliable character in the book in terms of her honesty and straightforwardness. Pinborough immediately creates this normal and likeable young woman, whose loneliness and boring situation make her flirtation with a married man seem less blameworthy: “My life is, as a rule, a blur of endless routine” (14). Louise narrates her emotions in great detail, which allows the reader to fully relate to her. The reader can understand and empathize with Louise as she deals with the confusing and frightening situation she finds herself in with David and Adele.

Louise is a relatively simple character compared to the other protagonists and she seems, all the way up until the end, to have no murky past or previously hidden secrets other than those created during her involvement with the couple. Her behavior is morally questionable at times—particularly her relationship with a married man and her deception of both him and his wife—but her motives are never evil, and she intensely and consistently feels guilt. The reader’s sympathy for Louise is maintained throughout the book as she is shown to be a very loving mother: “My guilt over taking a fake sickie is totally washed away by the tidal wave of sadness when Adam leaves for the month” (93).