Guillermo Garcia

Character Analysis

A Colombian sculptor who lives in Lost Cove, Guillermo Garcia is Jude's mentor and was Dianna's one and only (you know, when she got over her husband).

In the wake of his beloved's death, Guillermo has been a bit of a basketcase. We get a glimpse of this when Jude meets him the first time. He's drunk and disorderly—a.k.a. "Drunken Igor"—because he's mourning the anniversary of Dianna's death. (2.216) Jude just doesn't realize it at the time.

Guillermo has a volatile personality, and it's reflected in the way he works with his materials. (He spits on clay and punches sculptures in the face, to take two examples.) He used to teach, but gave it up after Dianna died. His relationship with Oscar, which we never see in its infancy, seems to set him on the road to recovery.

His relationship with Jude works further wonders. When they meet, he's in terrible shape. By the end of the book, he's cleaned up his act (and his messy house).

An interesting thing about Guillermo is that, even though he doesn't necessarily come across as a people person, he forms an instant paternal bond with Noah and Jude. Noah rejects it. ("I want him to rock me like this forever, like I'm a small boy….I didn't come here for this. I came for the opposite of this." [7.41 & 7.45]) Typical moodswing Noah.

Jude, on the other hand, is unaware at first that he had a relationship with her mom, so she is more open to his affection. "I can't believe how much I want him to hug me," she thinks. (4.416) They have a natural connection. It's nice that the twins get sort of a new parent figure, even if you sort of feel bad for their dad.