Augusten Burroughs
Augusten, the main character, is the son of Deirdre and Norman Burroughs who, at the age of 13, is adopted by his mother's psychiatrist, Dr. Finch. Augusten must live in a filthy and cluttered home, made exceptionally difficult by his mild, obsessive- compulsive tendencies, and with people who are far from normal. Augusten wants to be normal and live a normal life, but even more than that, a life of a "star". He wants to have his name on a line of hair products, for which he has a passion, so he can be famous and normal, unlike his current life. One of the people in the Finches home that Augusten becomes friends with is Natalie. They stew up some crazy projects together and have many adventures. Augusten later reveals to himself and to others that he is gay. During his stay at the Finches, he gets into a relationship with Neil Bookman, the first person who cares for him and who pays attention to him. It is not a healthy relationship, which Augusten realizes, but it is hard for him to let it go because it is nice to feel wanted. Since Augusten has no guidance or stable parenting surrounding him, he has to learn to survive on his own and teach himself how to be an adult. Natalie and Augusten discover by themselves that they want to make something of themselves, and they do. Though he was always taking notes and observing others in their natural state, he becomes something he never thought he would, a writer.
Augusten Burroughs in his present state.
Deirdre Burroughs
Deirdre is the mother of Augusten, and the wife of Norman Burroughs, who she is married to until their divorce. She is a chain-smoker and mentally unstable confessional poet, who, through and after her divorce sees a psychiatrist, Dr. Finch, to try and become a stabler person. She becomes unequipped to manage her own son, let alone herself, so she signs Augusten off to her shrink. She is not a mother who truly cares about her child's well-being or safety, probably because she cannot take care of herself safely. She allows Augusten to pretend to attempt suicide so he can be released from school. Deirdre finally allows herself to fully express herself, she admits she is a lesbian, and she no longer feels oppressed. While Deirdre is having episodes and continuously seeing Dr. Finch, she engages in a relationship with the local minister's wife, Fern Stewart. After Deirdre realizes that the minister's wife will not divorce her own husband, she embarks on a new and even stranger relationship with a teenage girl, Dorothy. Today, Deirdre is paralyzed on one side, due to a stroke, but continues to write poetry and make a living for herself.
Natalie Finch
Natalie is the youngest daughter of Dr. Finch and Agnes. Throughout the memoir, she is seen as a wild child, smoking cigarettes constantly and participating in risky, unruly, and promiscuous behaviors. She is also a great briber, convincing people to do many uncharacteristic things. Her appearance is a little chubby, several times calling herself "fat", eating a lot due to the lack of attention she receives from her parents. She eventually becomes great friends with Augusten, who is one year younger than herself. They engage is some mischievous and adventurous behavior and activities together and keep each other entertained most of the time. After she and Augusten decide to get their lives together, after wasting many of their youthful years, Natalie decides to enroll at Holyoke Community College and becomes a very strong student because she sets her mind to it. She makes something of herself and becomes the two things she wanted to, a psychologist and a singer. She started from the bottom, and with a little nudge and encouragement, she made it to the top.