In an Instant

Sixteen-year-old Finn Miller is the second youngest sibling of four in the Miller family. She has bright copper hair and large, green eyes. She is blunt but speaks her mind in a way that doesn’t offend others. This trait makes her a good communicator that others look to for help, exemplified when Aubrey asks Finn to speak to her mother-in-law on her behalf. Finn is the second youngest of her family’s four children and the youngest of the three daughters. Finn gets competitive with her sisters, but she also loves pranks and shares a strong bond with her family members.

Finn’s death causes her to shift roles in the novel. She remains the novel’s central protagonist but goes from being a limited first-person narrator to an omniscient narrator as she moves effortlessly from one place to the next instantaneously. Finn’s omniscience provides greater insight into the other characters and how they overcome their trauma and find peace after the accident, and her character arc powerfully reflects the theme of Healing Family Trauma and Conflict. Almost immediately after her death, Finn questions why she’s still connected to the living world. She thinks it’s cruel that she must watch her family suffer without being able to help them.