Lester Rey Character Analysis in Cloud Atlas

Lester Rey is the father of Luisa Rey. He was a police officer who tried to follow the rules but who, during one fateful investigation, ended up getting hit by a grenade and losing an eye. Disillusioned with the police, Lester went on to become a well-known Vietnam War correspondent, and his legacy hangs heavy over Luisa, who also wants to be a journalist but who struggles to live up to her father’s lofty name. Lester embodies an old-school style of journalistic integrity, often in the minority in his stand against corruption and greed but nevertheless able to effect change.

Lester Rey Character Timeline in Cloud Atlas

The timeline below shows where the character Lester Rey appears in Cloud Atlas. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...stuck. 4. An hour later, Rufus tells Luisa that he used to read her father’s (Lester Rey) writings from Vietnam all the time. He asks how Lester, a police officer, became... (full context)

Lester was police officer who, during the celebrations after World War II, got assigned to investigate... (full context)

...took place. Rumors spread that the mayor's office had some connection to a crime syndicate. Lester lost faith in law enforcement and became a globe-traveling journalist. Even after the birth of... (full context)

...Seaboard is the 10th-largest corporation in the country. She says that according to her father (Lester), back in the day, Grelsch had grit and published real stories. Grelsch gives Luisa a... (full context)

...He thinks to himself about how he used to work as a police officer with Lester Rey and recalls how it’s been two decades since he last saw Luisa. (full context)

46. Napier reveals to Luisa how he used to work with her father (Lester Rey) as a police officer. He explains that when Lester took a grenade, he was... (full context)