Sergio

Sergio is the multimillionaire owner of the advertising firm where Audrey Decker works, a figure who floats through the novel as a symbol of the glossy, hollow world of high-end fashion marketing that both sustains and saddens her.

Identity and Background

Sergio is the wealthy owner of the advertising firm that employs Audrey Decker. He is seldom in the office, though he often appears in the society pages with people like Donatella Versace. His absence from the day-to-day operations of the firm is a running joke: "discussing things with Sergio" is akin to asking "What would Jesus do?"

Role in the Firm and Relationship with Audrey

Audrey's firm specializes in women's accessories. Under the agitated eye of the art director Mathilde, Audrey supervises photo shoots of crystal earrings and crocodile handbags. Sergio's idea of an art book is Helmut Newton or the coffee-table book that Madonna did a while back, a remark that underscores his distance from the refined, scholarly tastes that Audrey herself possesses. Despite the gloss and sparkle of the job—champagne breakfasts, gift bags from Bergdorf's—the hours are long and there is a hollowness at the heart of it that makes her sad. What she really wants is to go back to school, though there is little chance of that after her husband leaves.

Narrative Significance

Sergio's character serves as a contrast to Mathilde's fussy, French-importing-magnate-daughter pretensions, and as a marker of the world of wealth and celebrity that surrounds Audrey's work but remains fundamentally alien to her. He calls Audrey "Dollybird" for reasons unknown to Theo, a detail that hints at a warmth or familiarity absent from the more formal relationships in her life. His presence in the novel is minimal but pointed: he embodies the commercial, celebrity-driven side of the art and fashion world that stands in opposition to the genuine artistic passion that Audrey and her son share during their final morning together at the museum.