An observant young girl from a large, struggling rural family in 1980s Ireland. She is sent to spend the summer with her mother's relatives, the Kinsellas, to alleviate her parents' financial burden and lack of food. Used to a life of strictness and poverty, she initially approaches her new environment with caution and fear of punishment. Her literal way of viewing the world slowly softens as she adjusts to a household characterized by regular meals, fresh well water, and domestic routine.

A capable, organized farmwife living in rural County Wexford with her husband, John. She keeps a remarkably neat home, cuts her dark hair short, and maintains meticulous standards for cleanliness and cooking. Beneath her practical exterior, she carries a quiet sadness and actively works to shield herself from the intrusive pity of her community. She approaches her young houseguest with practical care, giving her baths, fresh clothes, and dry cereal to improve her complexion.

A steady, dependable farmer who commands respect in his local community. He operates his farm with quiet efficiency and frequently leaves his own tasks to help neighbors dig graves or birth calves. Generous and even-tempered, he treats his young houseguest with surprising tenderness, giving her money for sweets in Gorey and holding her hand on walks to the beach. He believes strongly in the value of silence, choosing his words carefully.

The narrator's biological father, a struggling farmer in 1980s Ireland. He is a harsh, dismissive man who views his children primarily as mouths to feed or sources of physical labor. Prone to reckless behavior, he recently gambled away one of the family's vital cows in a card game. He leaves his daughter at the Kinsellas' farm without providing her belongings or offering a proper goodbye, eager to eat their food but quick to depart.

The narrator's biological mother, an exhausted woman overwhelmed by a life of continuous physical labor. Heavily pregnant and managing a household full of young children, she struggles daily against severe financial deprivation. She sends her daughter away out of a practical need to stretch the family's scarce resources. Despite her hardships, she maintains a sense of pride and is acutely aware of the social class differences between her home and the Kinsellas'.

A local woman who lives in a messy, unkempt cottage with uneven concrete slabs near the front door. She inserts herself into the affairs of her neighbors and takes pleasure in interrogating the narrator about the Kinsellas' private habits. She serves as a disruptive force in the community, eager to share other people's personal histories under the guise of casual conversation.