Fictional characters to invite to a dinner party

Characters in books to invite to a dinner party

Fictional characters to invite to a dinner party  – What do you dream about at night? Books of course, but what about the characters? Who do you miss? Want to meet again? Who do you think got a bad deal in a book, had a funny family or strange friends. Who would you REALLY like to have the chance to meet again…not just in a book but around a dinner table?

Here’s a table setting for that discerning literary traveller…..(I’ve kept Kate Morton’s characters out of this as she is a favourite author and to be fair, I would be excited to have them ALL over for dinner)

Tilly and Poe from M W Craven’s novels

Detective Sergeant Washington Poe would be good at any dinner party. If you wanted dark and cynical conversation haha. He’s a man of secrets and keeps his past hidden but I’d like to try and get him to open up. Since he lives on his own, he might appreciate a nice meal and he is ruthless so would probably offer to carve the turkey or keep an eye on the BBQ whatever we had that night.

Then there’s Tilly Bradshaw – a civilian analyst so she has the brains to really analyse the other guests. Imagine what the conversation would be like in the car with Poe back home.  This woman is witty and smart and she’s fascinating in the sense that she is so intelligent, she doesn’t have much common sense sometimes so would struggle to cook or even boil an egg. I’d hope for great conversation in exchange and given the cases author M Craven has put her on, the stories she could tell!

Tuva from Will Dean’s novels

Ever since reading book one in the series by Will Dean, I have become fascinated with Tuva. She lets nothing stop her. Despite being deaf, she is a reporter, ruthless and determined and she finds things no one else does. She has some confidence and skill does Tuva, so I would love to spend a few hours in her company. Maybe she’s bring some liquorice from the factory in Gavrik where the books are set.

Nell from The Circus of Wonders by Elisabeth McNeal 

Nell is the brilliantly imaginative and strong character from this fantastic novel. She is cast apart from her community because of the birthmarks that speckle her skin. She’s not totally alone though as her world is her beloved brother and devotion to the sea. She’s such a strong and fearless character, I think she’d be fascinating to talk to. Oh the stories she could tell about the Circus of Wonders! It’s a gothic and deliciously dark visit to the circus and I’d really like to hear it from Nell. I fell in love with her story the moment I read it.

Esme from The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

This is one person I would LOVE to meet. This is the girl after all, that helped to create the Oxford English dictionary. She works collecting words to go into the first dictionary but, over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others – words and meanings relating to women’s experiences often go unrecorded. So, she begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words.

She spent her childhood in a place called Scriptorium. That’s reason in itself to meet this girl.

 Policeman Ari Thor from the  Ragnar Jónasson novels set in Iceland

This is one policeman I would really like to talk to. He’s got so many hidden layers. Plus, he knows how to survive a small, isolated Icelandic village so I could learn a lot about survival and coping in lockdown. He’s even got a name that means something – Ari is an old Icelandic word meaning “Eagle” and Thor is a reference from Old Norse mythology.

He’s one of life’s survivors having lost both parents young. He’s a bit down on life but has a good heart and he’s one of life’s survivors so he could tell a story or two.

Tuck in and enjoy!