Jay Gardiner

Jay Gardiner is sensitive, intelligent, and deeply affected by his relationship with his father, Mitt. Although he leaves home to escape his father’s abuse, he still carries the hurt and self-doubt it caused. He wants independence, yet feels pressured to prove that he is a worthy son.

His decision to search for his father’s remains comes from grief, guilt, and a desire to regain his family’s respect. This reveals both his determination and his willingness to put himself in danger when he feels he has something to prove. His resentment toward Mitt exists alongside an unresolved need for his acceptance.

When trapped inside the whale, Jay shows resourcefulness, courage, and a strong will to survive. He relies on the lessons his father taught him while confronting the emotional damage Mitt left behind. His growth involves recognizing that his father helped shape him, while learning that he can still become his own person.

Jay grew up with an emotionally abusive father, Mitt, a skilled diver who was admired by the local community but harsh and unpredictable at home. Mitt pushed his knowledge of diving and the ocean onto Jay, often treating him like a subordinate rather than a child. He criticized Jay’s sensitivity, leaving him feeling misunderstood and unable to meet his father’s expectations.

Jay left home two years before the novel’s events, staying with friends’ families and focusing on school. The distance didn’t erase his father’s influence. After Mitt’s death by suicide, Jay struggles with grief, resentment, and guilt, especially because others judge him for having stayed away. His search for his father’s remains becomes an attempt to work through those feelings and regain his family’s respect.

Jay’s family includes his mother, Zara, and his two sisters, Nan and Eva. They love him, but struggle to understand how deeply Mitt’s emotional abuse affected him and why he needed to leave home. Their experiences and feelings toward Mitt differ from Jay’s, which creates tension between them.

While Mitt was dying, they repeatedly urged Jay to visit him, adding to his guilt. After his father’s death, Jay feels judged for staying away and believes he has lost his family’s respect. His dangerous search for Mitt’s remains is partly an effort to reconnect with them and prove that leaving didn’t mean he didn’t care.

As played by Austin Abrams, Jay has a lean build, fair skin, hazel eyes and tousled brown hair that falls loosely across his forehead. His face is youthful and clean-shaven, with defined cheekbones, a straight nose, and expressive eyes. He has a slightly drawn, tired appearance that fits the grief and strain he’s carrying. During the dive, he wears a dark wetsuit and bulky scuba equipment, his hair becoming wet and flattened against his forehead.

Jay attends the University of Iowa, having moved away from his hometown of Monterey, California. His move gives him distance from his controlling father and the ocean that dominated their life together.

A few more details about his background:

• Why Iowa: Director Brian Duffield explained that its landlocked location was deliberate. Mitt wanted to raise a son devoted to the sea, so Jay’s decision represents his desire for a separate life.
• Leaving home: Jay hopes going away to college will resolve his problems with his father, but the distance leaves their conflict unresolved.
• Returning: He comes home a year after Mitt’s death, carrying a complicated mixture of sorrow and relief. He searches for his father’s remains off Monastery Beach, hoping to find closure.

Outside his diving gear, Jay’s style appears casual, practical, and understated. In the boat scenes, he wears a gray hoodie and a baseball cap, giving him a relaxed college-student look.

For writing him, soft hoodies, plain T-shirts, worn jeans, sneakers, and a simple jacket would suit that style

Jay is 19 years old

Set during and after the movie, Jay’s childhood best friend has spent years quietly loving him, too afraid to risk their friendship by admitting it. When he moves away, she tries to accept that she missed her chance. Even a disastrous setup arranged by one of his sisters only leaves her missing him more.

When Jay finally returns following his father’s funeral, she’s relieved to have him close again, but seeing his grief makes her keep her feelings to herself. Instead, she becomes someone he can lean on, offering company without pushing him to talk. Then he leaves without saying goodbye to search for his father’s remains. With no idea where he is or whether he’s safe, her worry spirals—until a phone call from the hospital sends her rushing there alongside his mother.

Told from her perspective, the story follows the fear of almost losing him and the ache of loving him while helping him through something she can’t fix. Through his recovery, she stays close, even when she doesn’t know what to say. It ends with a quiet moment of comfort: Jay asking her to stay a little longer, her hand resting in his as they fall asleep beside each other. Whether he feels the same remains uncertain, but for that night, she gets to know he’s safe—and that he wants her there.