Elaine is a painter whose early years in post-World War II Toronto deeply influence her art and her psyche. Raised in a nomadic family that travels for her father's entomology work, she initially struggles to assimilate into traditional girlhood when they settle in the city. Her desperate desire to belong pulls her into a formative and painful social circle. She views the world with a highly observant, detached gaze that helps her survive childhood isolation and later defines her creative career.

Cordelia is a charismatic girl from a wealthy family who rapidly takes over the leadership of Elaine's social circle. She dictates the rules of their playtime and enforces strict standards of posture, speech, and behavior on the other girls. Beneath her confident exterior, she struggles with intense pressures from her older sisters and father, projecting her own insecurities by finding endless faults in Elaine.

Stephen is Elaine's older brother, a brilliant boy who views his surroundings through the logic of science, astronomy, and physics. During their early nomadic years, he is Elaine's primary companion. When the family moves to Toronto, he easily adapts to the local school environment, joining boys' groups and naturally drifting away from his sister as they grow up.

Elaine's mother is an independent woman who thrives during the family's wilderness excursions but struggles to conform to the domestic expectations of city suburbia. She prefers comfortable slacks and ice dancing over neighborhood gossip or pristine homemaking. Though fiercely protective of her family, she has difficulty recognizing or intervening in the psychological bullying her daughter faces.

Elaine's father is an entomologist who eventually takes a university position in Toronto. He is friendly but deeply pessimistic about humanity's future, frequently discussing environmental disasters and species extinction at the dinner table. He introduces his children to microscopes and laboratories, offering a stark contrast to the disciplinary, invisible fathers of Elaine's friends.

Grace is a year older than Elaine and initially leads the neighborhood playgroup with quiet authority. Raised in a strictly religious household, she views the world through a moralistic lens and uses her faith to justify her judgments of others. She smoothly transitions into a compliant, supportive role when Cordelia takes over the group's leadership.

Carol is Elaine's first friend in Toronto, a conventional girl who introduces Elaine to the standards of modern domestic life, such as twin-set sweaters and living room furniture. Eager to fit in, she uses Elaine's unpolished background to gain attention from other girls. She quickly aligns herself with whoever holds the most social power to avoid being targeted herself.

Mrs. Smeath is Grace's mother, a highly devout woman who governs her household with rigid religious principles. She suffers from a bad heart that requires frequent rest on the living room sofa. She views Elaine's unchurched family with deep suspicion and quiet judgment, leaving a lasting impression on Elaine's understanding of adult women and patriarchal religion.

Jon is an art student who becomes romantically involved with Elaine. He creates abstract constructions from found objects and rejects bourgeois conventions, including artistic traditions and monogamy. His relationship with Elaine is passionate but fraught, marked by competitive tension and chaotic arguments about their respective careers.

Josef is a Hungarian refugee and an art instructor who commands the attention and respect of his male students while taking a particular, controlling interest in his female students. He views Elaine as an unfinished subject and attempts to mold her appearance, leveraging his authority and worldly experience to initiate an affair.

Ben is a travel agent who provides Elaine with a calm, stable life in Vancouver. He views Elaine as somewhat fragile and offers a stark contrast to the chaotic, competitive artists of her past in Toronto. His presence grounds Elaine in a more conventional family life.

Mr. Banerji is a graduate student from India studying under Elaine's father. He often appears anxious and isolated in Toronto society. Elaine feels a quiet kinship with him, sensing a shared vulnerability and viewing him as a comforting presence who, like her, exists on the margins of conventional Canadian life.

Susie is an art student in Josef Hrbik's class. She is deeply involved with Josef and hopes to marry him. The other students, including Elaine, often dismiss her as an unserious artist. Her desperate dedication to Josef leads her into a precarious and dangerous situation.

Mr. Smeath is Grace's father. Unlike his strictly observant wife, he possesses a subtle, irreverent sense of humor that sometimes manifests in crude jokes at the dinner table. Elaine feels a secret affinity for him, appreciating his slight subversion of the household's oppressive piety.

Sarah is the daughter of Elaine and Jon. She is fiercely loved by both of her parents, despite the volatile environment created by their marital conflicts during her early childhood.

Andrea is a young journalist assigned to write an article about Elaine's retrospective art show in Toronto. She approaches Elaine with modern feminist frameworks, probing for ideological answers that make Elaine defensive and resentful of being categorized.

Perdie is one of Cordelia's older sisters. Named after a Shakespearean character, she plays the viola, dances ballet, and is considered highly gifted. She frequently criticizes Cordelia, contributing to the harsh environment of judgment within their home.

Mirrie is Cordelia's other older sister, also bearing a Shakespearean name. Like Perdie, she excels in extracurricular activities and contributes to the high expectations and critical atmosphere that shape Cordelia's behavior.