Sweetbitter

Simone is 37 years old and has worked at the restaurant for years. She is a sophisticated and knowledgeable woman who wields enormous influence at the restaurant. She is well-liked by her regular customers, and her time working at the restaurant gives her some power. Simone is put on a pedestal by Tess, who wants to model herself after her. Simone is a lover of literature, Europe, culture, and fine wine. She has endless stores of knowledge and experience that sets her apart from other people. But Simone is also more complicated than Tess wants to admit. Simone isn’t a server living in the same apartment for decades because she wants to be—she has no other option. Two failed engagements and lost dreams keep Simone devoted to the one setting in which she thrives—the restaurant. Simone has a significant relationship with Jake, whom she helped raise when his mother died.

Simone is like a mother to Jake, but she’s also a friend, a type of big sister, and a codependent companion. She looks after Jake, and Jake looks after her, in a cycle of support that is both integral to their mutual well-being and holding them back from taking new risks. Simone ultimately disappoints Tess. Simone remains true to herself and insists that she did care about Tess. But Simone’s years of experience in the restaurant have taught her that young women like Tess come and go. Simone enjoys her role as a mentor in Tess’s life, but she doesn’t care about Tess enough to include her in her life with Jake. Simone goes from the woman Tess models herself after to the woman Tess doesn’t want to become.

Jake is a bartender at the restaurant. He is characterized through his beauty. Tess is only one of many people who desire Jake. He is also aloof and mysterious, which adds to his attractiveness. But what seems interesting about Jake’s attitude toward life and love is actually a tendency toward self-destruction. Jake starts a relationship with Tess even though it’s clear she likes him more than he likes her. Jake’s relationship with Tess is about sex, and he is often mean to her. He judges her for her youth and beauty but doesn’t take in criticism about his own lack of meaning in his life. Jake and Simone have a close relationship because Simone helped take care of him when he was a child. This relationship with Simone is integral to his well-being, but it also prevents him from forming long-lasting relationships with other people. This relationship also prevents him from taking new steps in his life. Thus Jake, like Simone, finds himself in a job and life that he hadn’t planned on. Jake ultimately proves everyone who warned Tess against falling in love with him correct. He becomes a destructive influence in Tess’s life.

Howard is Tess’s boss at the restaurant. He is a cultured and well-educated man who is largely absent, except for the persistent presence of his power. He is able to analyze people. Tess is a little frightened of Howard’s intuition because she is worried about what he might notice about her character and habits. Howard is also an antagonistic character in that he has inappropriate affairs with his young female staff members. He violates professional boundaries, which makes him a constant threat to Tess, who is the type of woman he would try to seduce. Tess ultimately uses her sexual power with Howard in exchange for a promotion to server. Howard promotes her but transfers her to another restaurant within the company. This proves that Howard is loyal to Simone and that Tess having sex with him did not get Tess what she wanted. His character represents the problematic power dynamics between men and young women, particularly in predatory environments in which men can wield their power with impunity.