61 pages • 2-hour read
Thomas Olde HeuveltA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.
Katherine is a 17th-century woman executed for witchcraft who now wanders Black Spring as a physical ghost. Her most defining features are her eyes and mouth, which have been tightly sewn shut by the town's historical founders. She serves as a silent, unnerving presence whose proximity dictates the town's oppressive laws and heavy surveillance.
Steve is a medical professional and rationalist trying to raise a family in a town governed by superstition and fear. He accepts Black Spring's strict, authoritarian rules as a pragmatic necessity to keep his loved ones safe. He struggles to bridge the gap between his scientific worldview and the supernatural reality of his home.
Husband of Jocelyn Grant
Father of Tyler Grant
Father of Matt Grant
Friend of Pete VanderMeer
Son-in-law of Milford Hampton
Jocelyn is a former geologist and dedicated mother who attempts to shield her family from the psychological toll of Black Spring. She uses domestic pragmatism to cope with the terror of living alongside a supernatural entity. Her primary focus is maintaining a semblance of normalcy for her sons in an inherently abnormal environment.
Wife of Steve Grant
Mother of Tyler Grant
Mother of Matt Grant
Daughter of Milford Hampton
Friend of Mary VanderMeer
Tyler is a 17-year-old aspiring vlogger who resents the oppressive, fear-based culture of Black Spring. He leads a secret group of teenagers in conducting experiments on Katherine to test the boundaries of the curse. He hopes to eventually expose the town's secret to the outside world, driven largely by a desire to be honest with his girlfriend.
Son of Steve Grant
Son of Jocelyn Grant
Older brother of Matt Grant
Romantic interest of Laurie
Friend of Lawrence VanderMeer
Friend of Jaydon Holst
Friend of Burak Şayer
Friend of Justin Walker
Jaydon is a 19-year-old resident with a volatile temper and a history of domestic trauma. He harbors intense hatred toward Katherine, blaming her for his abusive father's disappearance. He frequently escalates the teen group's pranks into genuine acts of cruelty against the witch.
Son of Griselda Holst
Friend of Tyler Grant
Influence over Burak Şayer
Tormentor of Katherine van Wyler
Grim is the cynical head of HEX, the high-tech organization responsible for tracking Katherine and maintaining the town's absolute quarantine. He relies on cameras, smartphone apps, and theatrical deception to manage the supernatural threat. He despises his job but views it as a necessary defense mechanism for the community.
Subordinate to Colton Mathers
Employer of Warren Castillo
Employer of Claire Hammer
Employer of Marty Keller
Informant to Burt Delarosa
Matt is the 13-year-old son of Steve and Jocelyn. He enjoys horseback riding and generally acts like a typical young teenager. Underneath his typical adolescent exterior, he has deeply internalized the town's superstitions and folklore regarding the witch.
Griselda owns the local butcher shop and serves on the Town Council. A survivor of severe domestic abuse, she has developed a secret, obsessive reverence for Katherine van Wyler. She privately leaves offerings for the witch in the woods, believing Katherine protects her.
Mother of Jaydon Holst
Secret worshipper of Katherine van Wyler
Harassed by Arthur Roth
Subordinate to Colton Mathers
Mathers is the head of the Town Council and the primary political authority in Black Spring. Deeply religious and puritanical, he favors harsh historical punishments over Grim's modern security methods. He actively manipulates the town's fear to maintain strict control over the populace.
Lawrence is a teenager in Black Spring and a core member of Tyler's "Open Your Eyes" project. Like Tyler, he wishes to test the limits of the town's curse through modern documentation. He is observant and occasionally serves as the voice of reason when experiments go too far.
Burak is a local teenager involved in the "Open Your Eyes" group. While initially drawn to Tyler's pseudo-scientific approach to the witch, he is highly impressionable. He easily falls under the sway of Jaydon's more aggressive and chaotic methodology.
Friend of Tyler Grant
Follower of Jaydon Holst
Justin is a friend of Tyler's who assists in documenting the witch. He treats the curse as a subject for juvenile pranks and viral videos. Like Burak, his sense of camaraderie eventually leads him to participate in darker activities spearheaded by Jaydon.
Friend of Tyler Grant
Follower of Jaydon Holst
Pete is a sociologist and the Grants' neighbor. He acts as the town's unofficial historian, explaining the origins of Black Spring and the horrific execution of Katherine van Wyler. He advocates for a measured, democratic approach during town crises.
Mary is Pete's wife and Lawrence's mother. She is a supportive presence in the neighborhood, reflecting the tight-knit but anxious social fabric of Black Spring.
Burt is a newcomer from New York City who purchases a home in Black Spring. He is initially completely ignorant of the town's supernatural reality until a terrifying encounter forces him to realize he is permanently trapped.
Husband of Bammy Delarosa
Monitored by Robert Grim
Bammy relocates to Black Spring with her husband, Burt. She represents the horror of an outsider violently inducted into the town's inescapable quarantine.
Wife of Burt Delarosa
Arthur is a resident imprisoned by the town for continuously breaking the rules of secrecy. He is kept hidden from the outside world and supplied with food by Griselda Holst.
Assailant of Griselda Holst
Warren works in the HEX control center monitoring the surveillance feeds. He helps analyze footage of Katherine's movements and coordinates with the rest of the security staff.
Subordinate to Robert Grim
Coworker of Claire Hammer
Claire is a HEX employee tasked with tracking Katherine's location via the town's extensive camera network. She ensures the witch's presence is logged and managed effectively.
Subordinate to Robert Grim
Coworker of Warren Castillo
Marty is a HEX officer who becomes increasingly unnerved as supernatural phenomena escalate. He favors aggressive, militaristic responses to the town's crises over observation.
Subordinate to Robert Grim
Lucy is part of the staff that manages the day-to-day surveillance of Black Spring under Robert Grim's command.
Subordinate to Robert Grim
Adrian is a HEX staffer who acts as an operator for the Town Council, utilizing the organization's surveillance footage for political and punitive purposes.
Subordinate to Colton Mathers
John is a highly superstitious town resident who actively incites panic and demands severe retribution to appease the curse.
Accuser of Steve Grant
Laurie is an outsider unaware of the supernatural horror governing Black Spring. She serves as Tyler's primary motivation for wanting to expose the truth about his life.
Romantic interest of Tyler Grant
Milford is Jocelyn's father. Because he lives outside Black Spring, he is completely ignorant of the curse and the true reasons behind the tragedies afflicting his daughter's family.
Joey is a young boy in Black Spring who becomes intertwined with Katherine's wanderings as the town's social structure breaks down.
Brother of Naomi Hoffman
Approached by Katherine van Wyler
Naomi is Joey's sister, a small child living in the increasingly chaotic town of Black Spring.
Sister of Joey Hoffman
Fletcher is the Grant family dog. His sharp instincts make him highly reactive to the supernatural presence of the witch, which eventually puts him directly in her path.