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Illustrated portrait of Rupert “Roops” Croft-Parker

A character in The Swimming-Pool Library

Rupert “Roops” Croft-Parker

Will’s curious six-year-old nephew, who brings family affection into his detached life.

What they want

Adventure, attention, and closeness with his uncle.

The book

Cover of The Swimming-Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst
The Swimming-Pool LibraryAlan Hollinghurst, 1988

Queer freedom in 1980s London meets class, power, loneliness, and the lives that came before it.

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Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Rupert is Will’s six-year-old nephew.

He is curious, imaginative, and devoted to his uncle.

His childhood should not be burdened with fixed adult identity labels.

How the book draws them

Appearance, manner, and tone — as the book sketches them, in our words.

  • CuriousHe is drawn to adult worlds he only partly understands.
  • AffectionateHe humanizes Will’s family relationships.
  • AdventurousHe runs away to visit Will.
  • ObservantHe later helps by reporting that he saw Arthur.

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