Lana
Overview
Lana is one of the quieter presences in Such an Odd Word to Use — a six-year-old with a journal, a watchful gaze, and a way of asking questions that seem too old for her age. Living on one of the upper floors, she sees more than she’s meant to and remembers more than most expect. Her presence is felt not in grand gestures, but in the small truths children often carry unnoticed.
Key Details
- Full name: Lana (surname undisclosed)
- Age: 6¾
- Education: Islington prep-school pupil
- Location: Clerkenwell, London — upstairs flat
- Distinctive traits: Keen observation, emotional sensitivity, expressive drawing style
Backstory
Lana keeps a journal. Some pages are words she doesn’t fully understand yet. Others are drawings — maps of her block, faces she’s only seen once, shadows with labels like maybe him or not quite sure. She started journalling to make sense of things that felt odd, or unfinished, or too quiet.
No one told her to do this. It just helped.
She is the sort of child who listens to silences as carefully as sentences. And when no one answers her questions directly, she writes them down anyway.
Personality
| Trait | Description |
|---|---|
| Curious | Asks questions adults pause before answering. |
| Emotionally attuned | Picks up on unease before it’s spoken. |
| Creative | Draws what she can’t yet put into words. |
| Quietly persistent | Notices changes, even small ones. |
| Unafraid of patterns | Finds comfort in rhythms others find odd. |
Relationships
- Mark — a downstairs neighbour she observes carefully; sometimes chats with through the railings
- Her mother — English, always described in fragments, rarely directly seen
- Her father — American, passed away before she was born; his absence is a quiet presence in her life
- The Journal — her most trusted companion, and perhaps the clearest record of what’s been unfolding
Character Arc
Lana’s arc is not a revelation, but a resonance. She doesn’t change the story — she reflects it. Her drawings, questions, and timing serve as quiet disruptions to the adult narrative. In a world where surveillance looms large, Lana reminds us that some watchers are innocent — and some memories sharper than expected.
Her role is small. But it echoes.
Notes for Readers
Lana is not a plot device. She is a pulse — steady, quiet, and emotionally resonant. Where adults hesitate or deflect, she notices. Where others forget, she draws. Her presence in the book is a quiet insistence that someone is always listening, even when you think you’re alone.