Character Analysis
One of the most interesting choices Nicola Yoon makes in The Sun Is Also A Star is the inclusion of background information about "blink-and-you'll-miss-them" characters. Here's a rundown:
The conductor on Daniel's train had his heart broken in a divorce. He saw a late-night televangelist and converted to Christianity, which led to his proclamation that all train passengers should go look for God. Daniel laughs off the advice, but when he half-jokingly climbs some church steps and finds a locked door, he turns around and sees Natasha for the first time.
Donald Christiansen, the driver of the white BMW, lost his daughter to a texting driver a few years ago. His marriage fell apart, his entire personality changed, and his sobriety went out the window. He knows how much your future can change an instant. Speaking of which, his near-collision with Natasha is the moment that Daniel saves her life and sets the rest of the book in motion. Donald's actual collision with Attorney Jeremy Fitzgerald is the spark that forces Jeremy to admit he's in love with Hannah, and it gives Daniel more time to spend with Natasha since his Yale interview with Jeremy is postponed.
The waitress in the Korean restaurant doesn't have a relationship with her son any more because he dated and married a white girl. Her son now has two babies of his own, and she doesn't know them. When Natasha asks for a fork, the waitress orders Daniel to teach her how to use chopsticks because America can't steal everything from their culture.
Joe, the security guard in Attorney Fitzgerald's building, lost his wife, Beth, to cancer six months after they both retired. They had so many plans and never had a chance to enjoy them, which conveniently emphasizes the book's theme of living in the moment. When Natasha tells him he shouldn't smoke and asks him to give her his cigarettes, she reminds him of Beth. Because of this one simple interaction, he decides to try to quit smoking once and for all.
These stories all support Daniel's belief that the "good parts" of people are connected. We've been following Natasha and Daniel's story the whole time, but what if this story were about Joe and Beth? Would Joe really quit smoking after a chance encounter with Natasha? Does the waitress ever reconnect with her son? How would the train conductor's newfound faith affect his life and career choices? Would Donald Christiansen's DUI push him to get sober and start healing from his daughter's death?
In the words of Robin Roberts, "Everybody's got something." Every person on Earth is dealing with their own problems and making their own choices. Some of the choices those people make—like Donald Christiansen's decision to drink and drive or Natasha's insistence that Joe turn over his pack of cigarettes—might profoundly affect your life and future even if you never meet them. The peripheral characters teach readers an important lesson: Your world may revolve around your desires and choices, but the entire world doesn't.