Character from Work in Progress by Kat Mackenzie
Helena's Oxford-educated son — charming, handsome, and perfectly nice in a way that teaches Alice exactly what she doesn't want.
Tristan is genuinely kind, genuinely respectful, and genuinely boring — which is not his fault, but is Alice's problem. He represents the safe choice, the sensible path, the man her pre-breakup self would have chosen because he checks every box on the list. He dates Alice briefly after the tour and is perfectly pleasant about it. His narrative purpose is contrast. Next to Robbie's rough edges and emotional depth, Tristan's smoothness feels like a surface. He's the answer to a question Alice has stopped asking.
Polished and conventionally attractive in the specific way of men who went to Oxford and have never had to try very hard. Well-dressed, well-groomed, with an easy smile and the kind of posture that suggests rowing. Looks like the leading man in a rom-com where nothing particularly interesting happens.
Also known as: Tristan