Golden Girl

Content Warning: This section of the guide mentions miscarriage, substance use, addiction, and suicide.

Vivian “Vivi” Howe is the protagonist of Golden Girl. She was a successful novelist and mother of three who lived in and wrote about Nantucket. After dying in an accidental hit-and-run at the beginning of the book, Vivi watches over her children’s lives from the “Beyond” over the rest of the summer as an investigation into her death simultaneously unfolds.

Just as she was to Brett Caspian, her high school boyfriend, Vivi is presented as a “golden girl” to the larger public and even to her family to some extent. She is ambitious, wealthy, and successful. Vivi’s career as an author is prolific enough to not only put Nantucket on the map and endear her to the community, but it also earns an amount that sees her paying alimony after her divorce. Additionally, unlike the other Nantucketers around her, including JP, her ex-husband, and Savannah, her best friend, Vivi’s wealth and success are entirely self-made. Having fallen in love with Nantucket during the summer after graduation, Vivi was determined to stay there after being left without accommodation following a weeklong stay at Savannah’s family home.