Jerome Barron is Claudia's son. When the novel opens, he is working in India. A bad bus crash breaks his leg, kills his girlfriend, and kills and injures many of the other passengers. Jerome comes to stay with Claudia to recover. Jerome ends up befriending Valerie Pomeroy and Victoria. These two are the only ones he can tell about the death of his girlfriend. Eventually, he is also able to share this news with his mother.
