Diane Porter

Diane Porter belongs to the well-heeled orbit of parents at Reardon, the private school where much of the story's social machinery grinds. She turns up at fundraisers and pickups, trading pleasantries and gossip with the other mothers, present at the edges of a community that prizes appearances above almost everything.

Maria Dizzia has a gift for making minor social players feel fully inhabited, and here she uses small, watchful reactions to suggest a woman who notices more than she says. In a story built on curated surfaces, her character is a reminder that someone is always quietly taking note.