Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Living... in the middle of an unsolved mystery in New York City. Dory went to school with a girl named Chantal. They weren’t close, but when “missing” posters go up all over New York City with Chantal’s face on them, Dory becomes obsessed with finding her.
Profession... personal assistant moonlighting as a detective. She follows leads as to Chantal’s whereabouts, interrogates suspects, and collects evidence. The detective work kicks into high gear when she teams up with a private investigator hired by Chantal’s family.
Interests… none, once she starts investigating. She gets tunnel vision, ignoring her relationship, friends, work obligations and whatever else she did for fun in the days before the photos connected by string went up on her apartment wall.
Relationship Status... living with her boyfriend, Drew. He’s a meek, gentle guy, who requires a lot of attention from Dory. He doesn’t like her staying up all night chasing down leads – partly because he’s worried about her, but also because he’s not mature enough to consistently make his own dinner.
Challenge... finding Chantal while she’s stuck in the narcissistic world of white, “creative” twenty-somethings in Brooklyn. Her friends Eliot and Portia are less than helpful. They’re more concerned about making appearances at parties than asking the tough questions of the cult that Dory thinks might have something to do with Chantal.
Personality... inquisitive, obsessive, and desperate for meaning in her life. Chantal’s disappearance is a perfect storm of circumstances that brings out the worst in Dory. But she doesn’t see it that way. She sees the mystery as an opportunity to finally find some meaning in purpose in what’s been for years a surface-level, selfish life.
