The Postmortal

John Farrell is the novel’s first-person narrator. He conveys his personal experiences through a series of blog posts, which are then supported with news articles, interviews, and headlines. John never describes himself within the text; the only physical characteristic shared is that he is not muscular, and this detail is only given when he describes seeing David as an adult for the first time.

John begins the novel as a highly logical individual. His first impulsive move is to get the cure in the first place, going to a doctor who provides it for those who can afford it before its official legalization. John notes that this decision is unlike him, and he continues to prove that this impulse was an oddity as he goes through the next two decades of life. He tries to convince his family members to get the cure, wanting more time with them and wanting them to know the security of being postmortal. As time passes and he becomes exposed to more traumatic events, John’s logical self regresses into someone much more emotional and instinctual. The trauma he carries manifests in impulsive behavior, nightmares, and insomnia; however, he does not address his experiences, instead burying his trauma in work and obsession.