# Pavel Ostapenko — The Faraway Bride character guide

> Pavel Ostapenko in The Faraway Bride by Stella Benson.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Ostapenko, Pavel Nicholaievitch Ostapenko, old Ostapenko, the ebullient Pavel

**First appearance:** 0003-i

## Snapshot

A rare and ebullient drunk whose romantic lies, belches, and rancorous asides his wife Varvara must endlessly reshape to fit the Procrustes frame of Ostapenkoism.

## Who they are

Pavel holds forth at his own table with staring rufous eyes, a gold-red beard working like a latch, and sweat among the auburn hairs on his breast. He praises his wonderful wife and pities friends with scolding, silk-stockinged, chicken-ruining spouses, while Varvara watches furiously to see whether the gentle strangers dare notice. His talk is the humming noise around the glass globe in which Seryozha and Tatiana sit, and when the women leave, it becomes the only thing left to understand.

## Relationships

### [Wilfred Chew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/wilfred_chew)

_rivalry_

Pavel Ostapenko and Wilfred Chew are rivals or antagonists, with tension evident in their frequent but conflicted interactions.

### [Seryozha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/seryozha)

_rivalry_

Pavel Ostapenko and Seryozha are competitors or enemies, likely due to romantic or family conflicts.

### [Varvara Alexeievna Ostapenko](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/varvara_alexeievna_ostapenko)

_family_

Pavel Ostapenko and Varvara Alexeievna Ostapenko are family members, likely husband and wife or close relatives.

### [Tatiana Ostapenko](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/tatiana_ostapenko)

_family_

Pavel Ostapenko and Tatiana Ostapenko are father and daughter, with a familial relationship.

### [Old Sergei](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/old_sergei)

_rivalry_

Old Sergei and Pavel Ostapenko are rivals or antagonists, with tension stemming from family or personal conflicts.

### [Tanya](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/tanya)

_family_

Pavel Ostapenko and Tanya are family members, likely father and daughter or uncle and niece.

### [Old Sergei](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/old_sergei)

_rivalry_

Old Sergei and Pavel Ostapenko are rivals or antagonists, with tension stemming from family or personal conflicts.

### [Seryozha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/seryozha)

_rivalry_

Pavel Ostapenko and Seryozha are competitors or enemies, likely due to romantic or family conflicts.

### [Tanya](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/tanya)

_family_

Pavel Ostapenko and Tanya are family members, likely father and daughter or uncle and niece.

### [Wilfred Chew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/wilfred_chew)

_rivalry_

Pavel Ostapenko and Wilfred Chew are rivals or antagonists, with tension evident in their frequent but conflicted interactions.

### [Wilfred Chew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/wilfred_chew)

_rivalry_

Pavel Ostapenko and Wilfred Chew are rivals or antagonists, with tension evident in their frequent but conflicted interactions.

### [Seryozha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/seryozha)

_rivalry_

Pavel Ostapenko and Seryozha are competitors or enemies, likely due to romantic or family conflicts.

## In the story

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/vi)

Mentioned as the cousin of Seryozha's father's uncle's wife, described as a bad boy whose child might also be bad.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/vii)

Pavel confronts Tatiana about Sasha Weber's suicide, accusing her of being heartless and responsible for the downfall of multiple suitors. He strikes her and expresses frustration over her lack of emotional response.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/viii)

Dominates the conversation, expounding on the Ostapenko family curse and telling a story about his time in Mongolia and Siberia; expresses misogynistic views.

### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/x)

Dominates the evening with self-aggrandizing stories about his marriage and his daughter, revealing his need for validation and his self-deception.

### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/xi)

Anxiously waits for Wilfred to wake, fearing humiliation; tries to secure Wilfred's validation of the marriage deed using broken English and props.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/xiii)

Exercises patriarchal control, prepares to meet Isaev to protect Seryozha's illusions, and departs with Yi and horses.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/xiv)

Gives Seryozha gifts, a dowry, and a blessing before the journey.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/pavel_ostapenko
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters