David’s Grandfather who was excommunicated from his community and forced to start over in Waknuk. He was an incredibly religious, merciless man.
David’s Grandmother who saved her firstborn Godron from beingtortured and sterilized by the Inspector.
Pg 16: “Elias was not a man to let shortcomings pass unremarked. In afew seasons he straightened the coltishness with admonitions, faded the pink and gold with preaching, and produced a sad, great wraith of wifehood who died, unprotesting, a year after her second son was born.”
David’s father who is the preacher, magistrate, & largest landowner in Waknuk. His religious fervor creates conflicts in the greater community and his willingness to betray the people he should love most. He’s incredibly controlling and narcissistic. He’s killed by his brother, Gordon, in the battle at the Fringes camp.
Jospeh’s Brother who became the leader of the Fringes. Until the age of 4, he had a certificate but then his limbs began to grow abnormally. His mother and nurse helped him escape before he could be turned over to the Inspector to be castrated. He was “heir” to Waknuk and hates Joseph for “replacing” him. He’s spent all these years fantasizing about getting his revenge and taking back control of Waknuk. His attraction to Rosalind causes tension with Sophie, who is in love with him. He’s killed by an arrow in the battle at the Fringes camp moments after he kills Joseph.
The one-legged husband of David’s Mother’s Now-Deceased Sister Elizabeth. He was a Sailor whose influence is an integral part of David’s religious disillusionment. He pushes David to hide his telepathic powers. In order to protect the telepaths from discovery, he murders Alan Ervin.
Mother’s Oldest Sister who was sent away by her unnamed husband.
David’s Mother who is just as devoutly religious as his father. She refuses to help her sister, Harriet, which leads to her suicide.
Emily’s younger sister. She begs Emily to switch babies with her after she gives birth to her 3rd “defective” baby. Facing excommunication, she drowns herself, and presumably her newborn with her, in the river.
David’s Mother’s Half Sister
David’s Mother’s Half-Brother.
Emily’s other Half-Brother who has the farm neighboring the Strorm’s. He’s Roaslind’s Father. He has a contentious relationship with Jospeh. The two constantly compete about who has the more “Pure” farm.
David’s Oldest Sister
David’s Seond Oldest Sister
David’s Cousin who is also his Love Interest and a Telepath.
David’s Youngest Sister. She is the strongest/most powerful known telepath, but she is largely unaware of her position in the evolutionary chain.
Her abilities include:
>>She can overwhelm other telepaths with little effort. She’s so powerful it causes the others physical pain.
>>She can control them to a certain extent, as she “pulled” them to her when her pony was attacked.
>>She has a much wider range; able to communicate with the people of Sealand on the other side of the world.
>>She can see ‘ behdin-thinks’ or personal thoughts, unlike the others who can only see thoughts projected to them.
>>She can communicate privately with one person at a time, which I something the other cannot do.
David’s childhood friend and first crush. She has 6 toes and is considered an “Abomination” in Waknuk. For the majority of the novel, David believes she was killed during a failed escape attempt with her parents after another boy (Alan) reported her. She was captured, sterilized, tortured, and released to the Fringes where she became one of Gordon’s concubines. She shelters David, Petra, and Rosalind in her cave while the Woman from Sealand is traveling to rescue them. In the end, she dies from arrow wounds as a result of her loyalty to Gordon.
Sophie’s Mother who is presumably killed for harboring her own daughter.
Sophie’s father who was also killed during the escape attempt.
He lives 3 miles to the North of the Strorm farm. He resents being a Telepath and wishes he was normal. He’s incredibly intelligent and attends an elite school, then shares the information with the others. After Petra, Ros, and David escape from Waknuk, he joins one of the search parties to report the militia’s movements. In the end, he decides to return for Rachel instead of giving on the plane.
She lives 2 miles further away in a farm that neighbors Katherine’s. When the telepaths are discovered, she’s taken to the Inspector’s and tortured until she dies.
She lives in a neighboring farm to Sally’s. She is also taken to the Inspector’s and tortured with hot irons until she confesses to being a Telepath.
He lives 9 miles to the North East. As the Waknuk search party approaches the Fringes camp, Michael informs David that Mark has gone errily silent. Everyone assumes he is dead.
Rachel’s sister who lives 1 1/2 miles to the West. She falls in love with Alan and marries him. Once they’re married, she tells him about her abilities and outs the others. After he is found dead in a field, she hanged herself, leaving a note for the Inspector listing all the telepaths, but it’s intercepted by Rachel.
Anne’s sister. As the other’s escape, she is left behind in Waknuk alone.
The unnamed character who heard Petra’s distress from the other side of the world and orchestrated a “rescue” mission. She has very eugenic views, believing those with telepathic abilities are the next rung in Evolution and those without them (like the people in Waknuk) are primitive and their extinction is inevitable.
Farm Hand who has more “traditional” views on how Blasphemies should be dealt with. (He thinks they should use the “old ways” and burn them alive.)
Fucking Alan is the young boy who reports Sophie. Hebecomes Anne’s husband, despite protests from the group. He is shot with an arrow by Uncle Axel who uncovers hisplans to blackmail the telepaths.
The man who appears when Petra’s pony is killed by the creature from the Wild Country. He is incredibly suspicious when he comes across their group in the middle of the woods.
The man the Inspector uses to investigate on the Down Low.
A man who ran a pub and blackmailed his employees into working fro him. Uncle Axel ran into him during his time as a Sailor. He’s the reason why he recognized Alan’s intention to blackmail.