Funny You Should Ask

Gabe Parker, Chani’s love interest, is 6’4” and born and raised in Cooper, Montana. His father died of a brain tumor when he was 10. They were close, and Gabe was deeply affected by his loss. He is close with his family and considers his sister, Lauren, his best friend. He bought his mother a bookshop and many of the items on his list of things to do when he becomes famous involve taking his family to places they’ve never been. Chani describes Gabe as “knee-bucklingly handsome” (19) with dark brown hair and a dimple in his left cheek. He’s fit and muscular. When they first meet, she notices “a slight manic quality to him […] like he was literally overflowing with excess energy” (33). His laugh makes Chani think of chocolate cake (65). Later, when he is sober, Chani wonders if his fidgeting was due to his addiction and the things he was using drinking to try to escape.

Aside from being Chani’s dream guy, Gabe doesn’t emerge as a strong or sharply defined character in the novel. He is loyal to his family and loves his dog. He is hurt by the public opinion that he is too much of an “American hick” to play James Bond. Initially, he tries to self-medicate his insecurities with alcohol. He arranges a marriage of convenience with a fellow actor, Jacinda Lockwood, and remains faithful to her, though he still missed Chani and, on two occasions, got in contact with her. After he became sober and realized Chani was no longer married, he decided to try to see her again. While Chani expresses reservations that Gabe can’t really know much about her on the basis of spending a few hours together, he insists that he knows her through her writing, and he is attracted to how her mind works. Like Chani, Gabe’s character arc finds him rejecting The Relationship Between Fame and Fantasy, and embracing the reality of his love for Chani and work that excites and feels meaningful to him.

Oliver Matthias is a secondary character in the novel who plays a supporting role in Chani and Gabe’s romance and who acts as a foil for Gabe. A handsome British actor who grew up acting on the stage and screen, Oliver has the debonair, suave quality that Gabe is told he lacks. While Gabe feels safer and less exposed playing a role and embodying a fantasy version of himself, Oliver turns down the iconic role of Bond because he refuses to hide his sexual identity, determined to come out as gay on his own terms. Oliver is an example of someone who has learned to navigate fame without sacrificing his happiness or compromising who he is, as the younger Gabe felt obligated to do.