Lena is the narrator and main character of the novel. Throughout the entire book, Lena tells the reader about all of her thoughts and emotions. Lena, currently 17, is very emotional and wary of her mothers recent, horrific suicide. She sees herself as ordinary and short, someone who blends into the background and who is unlovable. Lena knows that her mothers suicide must have had something to do with deliri, or love, which is why she is so resistant to even the idea of being with someone and she cannot wait until her operation. She sees her mother's suicide as an abandonment, and both her sister Rachel and her aunt Carol are distant from her. Due to this, Lena feels she isn't worthy of anyonw and has incredibly low self-esteem. She even questions whether her best friend Hana would be happier with another best friend.
Lena is afraid of what may come when she falls in love with Alex. She knows that it is wrong, and that this may have been the same reason that she had no true mother anymore. But she can't help it. In Delirium, the symptoms of love are described as "cannot think clearly, or make rational decisions about your own well-being." These symptoms, begin to describe Lena perfectly after she meets Alex. This may even change her opinions about the operation from life-saving, to fatal.
