Victoria “Jillian” Duport: The self-lacerating heroine who’s trying to recover from trauma.

Victoria: Jillian’s critical and protective inner voice.

Vince Riley: The jaded private investigator and former cop hired by Jillian.

Melisarah Riley: Vince’s wife.

Kurst Hellerman: The subject of Vince’s search.

Peter Kenwyle: Former director of defunct Chelsing Asylum.

Caarels Noyurnmeizer: The enigmatic fisherman Vince meets in Michigan’s U.P.

Skip: Jillian’s current casual beau.

Benedetto “Ben” Callahan: Jillian’s former lover. Jillian’s present lover?

Johnny Callahan: Ben’s brother.

Maria Callahan: Ben and Johnny’s mother.

James Callahan: Ben and Johnny’s late father.

Katherine Harmon-Callahan: Johnny’s lawyer wife. Yale alumna.

Dominic “Dom” Sazulia: Maria’s brother; Ben and Johnny’s uncle.

Jimmy Sazulia: Ben’s cousin and former business partner.

Bonnie: Katherine’s former friend, Ben’s former lover.

Dr. Francis Kuvolst: Jillian’s psychiatrist.

Rose Kelly: Jillian’s DBT therapist.

Reed Hobson: The retired police chief who was on the job when the Indianhead River Killer was haunting Campton County.

Artemis Randle: The Indianhead River Killer.

Frank Duport: Though not Jillian’s biological father, he raised her as his own.

Theresa Duport: Frank Duport’s second wife and Jillian’s stepmother.

Danny, Thomas, Gretchen: Theresa’s children and Jillian’s stepsiblings.

Margaret Townsend: Jillian’s late and revered maternal grandmother.

Jeannie Townsend: Jillian’s late mother. She died the previous year.

Theodore Townsend: Jillian’s late and highly controversial maternal grandfather.

Nikolaus Jarvings: Jillian’s affluent paternal grandfather.

Robert Jarvings: Jillian’s biological father. He died before Jillian was born.

Lydia Jarvings: Robert’s late daughter and Jillian’s half-sister.

Eddie Jarvings: Nikolaus’s late son who was murdered the previous year.

Les Bierman: The acting managing partner of Nikolaus’s land development company.

Daniel: Nikolaus’s current personal assistant.

Amanda: Nikolaus’s maid and assistant.

Quentin: Nikolaus’s former personal assistant. Tragic backstory.

Xavier Stano “Stan”: Ben’s friend.

Pam Stano: Stan’s wife.

Blake Stano: Stan and Pam’s little boy.

Cecil & Hammonds: Two Campton County detectives.

Belcorte, Pennsylvania
The historic town of Belcorte sits in Campton County, which is quite near Carbon County—they’re so near, in fact, that some say they overlap. Jillian’s maternal grandparents, Margaret and Theodore Townsend, spent their married years in Belcorte, mainly because Theodore was a professor of sociology at Belcorte University. Set in the outstretches of the Pocono Mountains, Belcorte has many steep grades, including a main thoroughfare that passes between historic buildings on its ascent to St. Peters Church, where members of the esteemed Jarvings family have been laid to rest. To enter Belcorte is to step backward in time.

The Townsend House
The Second Empire Victorian, once presided over by Theodore and Margaret Townsend, is now the abode of Jillian Duport, their granddaughter. The house has some unusual features, not least its ghosts. It also has a turret the third floor of which doesn’t connect to the rest of the house, and the white room, Jillian’s reading room, that is trapped between the second and third floors.

Campton, Pennsylvania
This is the capital of Campton County. Of especial note is “Old Campton” where the police precinct and the courthouse preside. It’s got some nostalgia and a library that might have been a historic inn in another life.

Minerspoint, Michigan
The village of Minerspoint is just a stone’s throw from Marquette in Michigan’s U.P. It is notable for its now-abandoned asylum, Bancroft State Hospital. Bancroft was Kurst Hellerman’s last-known employer.

The Chalet, Niskayuna, New York
The house built by Jillian’s father, Frank, who is quite a skilled woodworker. It is on a plateau near the Mohawk River.

Philadelphia, PA
This is the place Ben calls his home. Investigator Vince Riley was also born and raised in Philly. Like any large city, it has areas that vary in appeal. Ben’s business is in a rather neglected-looking neighborhood in Northern Liberties. But Ben himself lives in a housing plan in Upper Roxborough.

• Trauma and its intergenerational impact

• Identity and self-discovery

• The nature of reality and self-perception

• Secrets and legacy

• Seeking truth and justice

• The search for connection and love

Language as a weapon. Contains a little Spanish and Swedish language used in the book, but most of these phrases are Estonian.

“Astuge lähemale. Ma ei kuule sind.” - “Come closer. I can’t hear you.”

“Elu on nagu aed—mida rohkem te seda kastate, seda kiiremini see sureb.” - “Life it like a garden—the more you water it, the faster it dies.”

“Gracias, vete a la mierda.” - Literally “Thanks, go to the shit,” more idiomatically, “Thanks, go fuck yourself.”

“Igavene memmekas” - Literally “Eternal old biddy,” this can mean “forever an old biddy/old cow.” In the book’s context, it’s more in line with “Forever an old sissy.”

“Kas sa räägid eesti keelt?” - “Do you speak Estonian language?”

“Keegi imelik elab üleval.” - “Someone strange lives above.”

“Kes sa oled?” - “Who are you?”

“Köttbullar med gräddsås” - Literally “Meatballs with cream sauce.” In other words, Swedish meatballs.

“Ma tulen tagasi” - “I will return.”

“Mine vittu” - Literally “Go to cunt,” this is similar to, “Go fuck yourself” or “Fuck off.”

“Mõnikord neelab torm laeva.” - “Sometimes the storm swallows the ship.”

“Nii julge” - “So brave”

“Nimed on inimeste väljamõeldised.” - “Names are human inventions.”

“Nõel särab valguses” - “The needle gleams in the light.”

“Printsessike” - Literally “Little princess,” can be cute or insulting depending on the target.

“Saksa keel?” - Literally “German language,” equivalent to, “Do you speak German?”

“See vittu natsist.” - “That Nazi cunt.”

“Tüdruk, sa ei tea, millega mängid.” - “Girl, you don’t know what you’re playing with.”