Adam Kominsky

Adam Kominsky is the father of Charlotte and Clarisse Kominsky and serves as a powerful symbol of patriarchal hypocrisy and emotional betrayal.

Background

Adam Kominsky was born into wealth and privilege of the Kominsky family, an aristocratic family with Russian origins in the South of France. Having studied finance, he worked first for a bank branch in Montpellier before growing as an investment banker, with stakes in real estate, metallurgy, and various conservative ventures around Montpellier. Usually withdrawn yet fluent with networking, Adam built a reputation as a responsible, sophisticated figure, but behind closed doors, he was distant, selfish, and emotionally selective.

After marrying British fashion designer Amelia Whiteridge, Adam had twin daughters, Charlotte and Clarisse. At the same time, during Amelia's pregnancy, he had an affair with a woman named Oceane and eventually (unbeknownst to him) had a daughter with her. The marriage fell apart amid infidelity and scandal when the family moved to Paris, and Alexandra, Adam's "other" daughter, came to Paris seeking her father. When the family shattered, he offered Clarisse the stability of comfort and privilege while rejecting Charlotte altogether because she chose to remain with her mum.

Adam refused to help Amelia whilst she struggled in Paris with Charlotte, who was a teenager at the time, refusing any financial help for them. This led to a huge family drama and shaped Charlotte's behaviour.

Appearance

Adam is tall, well-groomed, with greying hair and a commanding presence. He favours high-end suits and luxury watches, projecting the image of a composed, rational man. His eyes, described as a striking green, similar to Charlotte’s, betray more calculation than warmth. He presents himself like a dignified businessman, always composed in public, and skilled at performative affection when necessary.

Despite his polished appearance, there is a subtle coldness to his expression, particularly around his daughter Charlotte, whom he struggles to look at directly without disdain or discomfort.

Personality

Adam is intelligent, arrogant, and emotionally evasive. He avoids open conflict by refusing to acknowledge it, using legal deflection, political influence, or silence to erase uncomfortable truths. He is deeply uncomfortable with emotional vulnerability and demands control over his environment and family.

His morality is shaped by status, appearances, and legacy. He views mistakes as liabilities, people as assets or threats. To Charlotte, he is not a father but a figure of emotional exile; to Clarisse, he is a source of favour and conditional affection. Adam is neither cruel nor kind, he is simply absent when presence is needed most.

Relationship with Charlotte Kominsky

Adam’s relationship with Charlotte is the emotional core of his character arc. After the divorce, he rejected her outright because she chose her mother over him. He chose to raise Clarisse alone and erased Charlotte from his narrative, both legally and emotionally. But the relationship between Charlotte and her father broke apart when Ninon Kominsky, the last heiress of the Kominsky family, decided to make Charlotte her financial heiress over her father at the time of her death.

Even though Charlotte openly criticised his family choice, Adam was open to the news that his daughter was lesbian. Unlike Amelia, he never showed any hostility towards the news.

When Charlotte confronts him years later, once the war has settled and before she turns eighteen, his responses range from denial to minimisation. He cannot apologise, because an apology would mean accepting responsibility. Charlotte’s trauma is a footnote to him: one he refuses to acknowledge for fear it might tarnish his public image or disturb the new family he built.

Relationship with Clarisse Kominsky

Clarisse is Adam’s golden child: elegant, obedient, and easier to love. He lavishes her with attention, gifts, and education, and she remains loyal, if quietly complicit. Clarisse never challenges his worldview and, for that, earns his affection. Though not abusive, his favouritism is a quiet form of betrayal that leaves deep scars in Charlotte.

He will use Clarisse to try to soothe tensions between him and Charlotte, despite Charlotte's persistent refusal to ease the situation.

Role in the Story

Despite his position, he is more seen as a protagonist rather than an antagonist, but through emotional neglect and abandonment. His betrayal is not in what he does, but what he refuses to do: protect, love, and acknowledge. He is the embodiment of institutionalised male privilege, where silence replaces accountability and detachment masquerades as sophistication.

He never strikes Charlotte. He never saves her either.