meowsoni quoted Small Island by Andrea Levy
'Okay, boys, now listen up here' was how he began, this officer from the US military. Perched informal on the edge of a desk he was relaxed, the only white man in this room full of volunteer servicemen from the Caribbean ... The American officer's head was angular - a square jaw is not unusual especially on an officer, but a square skull!'
— Small Island by Andrea Levy (Page 127)
This utterly breathtaking, surrealist, delicate and wry approach to minor characters is why Andrea Levy is so good. Reminds me of Chekov's plays, where every minor character has this something indelible that even when the rest of the character dissolves away it is left in memory