Harriet is a smart, strong-willed, and obsessive twelve-year-old growing up in Alexandria, Mississippi. Discontented with the limited options available to young women, she finds inspiration in warriors and escape artists like Harry Houdini. She spends much of her time pouring over old newspaper clippings and plotting to solve the mystery of her older brother Robin's death, an event that occurred when she was an infant.

Allison is Harriet's sixteen-year-old older sister. She is sensitive, quiet, and deeply affected by the pervasive grief in her home. Rather than acting out like Harriet, Allison retreats into sleep, struggles with her grades, and forms intense emotional attachments to animals, particularly her aging cat.

Robin is Harriet and Allison's older brother whose unsolved murder twelve years ago fractured the family. Through constant family stories, he has taken on a mythical, almost religious status in Harriet's mind. His death remains the central, unspoken trauma that dictates the actions of his surviving relatives.

Charlotte is the mother of Robin, Allison, and Harriet. She lives in a state of prolonged depression, rarely leaving her bedroom or participating in the daily management of her household. Unable to process her son's unsolved murder, she secretly blames herself and allows her home to fill with hoarded newspapers and clutter.

Ida is a Black woman who performs all the domestic labor and childcare for the Dufresnes household. She works long hours for low wages, returning to her own family in the evenings. For Harriet and Allison, Ida serves as the primary maternal figure, offering stories, discipline, and comfort that their biological mother cannot provide.

Edie is Harriet's grandmother and the pragmatic matriarch of the Cleve family. As a former nurse, she is capable and unsentimental, often handling the harsh realities that her daughter Charlotte avoids. She is highly critical of her sisters and holds rigid, racially-charged opinions about class and history in the American South.

Hely is Harriet's best friend and devoted follower. He comes from a wealthy, attentive family and views Harriet as a brilliant, heroic figure. Eager to impress her, he enthusiastically joins her dangerous plans, though he lacks her intelligence and fails to comprehend the serious consequences of their actions.

Danny is a young working-class man in his early twenties who becomes the primary focus of Harriet's revenge plot. He is involved in the illegal drug trade with his volatile older brother Farish. Secretly exhausted by his criminal lifestyle, Danny harbors a quiet desire to escape his family's toxic dynamics and start fresh in another state.

Libby is the eldest of Edie's sisters and the kindest of the great-aunts. Having spent much of her life caring for their demanding father, Judge Cleve, she remained unmarried. She operates as the peacemaker among her more volatile sisters and treats her great-nieces with warmth and gentle wisdom.

Tat is one of Harriet's widowed great-aunts. She prefers solitude and is easily irritated by noise or unkemptness. Like the rest of her family, she holds onto idealized memories of their ancestral wealth and is highly critical of Harriet's tomboyish appearance.

Adelaide is the youngest of the Cleve sisters. She is social, slightly flirtatious, and worries Harriet with the possibility that she might remarry. Unlike her sisters, she performs her own housework, a point of constant complaint as she compares her current financial state to their grand history.

Pemberton, known as Pem, is Hely's older brother in his early twenties. He once played with Robin Dufresnes before his death. Pem supplies Harriet with rumors about the local working-class families and serves as a source of information regarding the Ratliff brothers' criminal activities.

Farish is the eldest Ratliff brother and the driving force behind the family's methamphetamine production. Having spent time in prison and a mental health facility, he is highly paranoid, erratic, and aggressive. He uses his grandmother's taxidermy shed to cook drugs and constantly suspects those around him of betrayal.

Eugene is a Ratliff brother who recently abandoned his family's criminal enterprises following a religious conversion. He now works as an itinerant preacher, frustrating his brothers with his constant lectures while continuing to rely on their financial resources. He rents an apartment above some Mormon missionaries and worries constantly about losing his lease.

Gum is the aging matriarch of the Ratliff family. Having survived multiple severe illnesses and a life of intense hardship, she is chronically tired and deeply pessimistic. She married at thirteen and raised her grandsons following the death of their parents, maintaining a tough, cynical outlook on life's possibilities.

Curtis is the youngest Ratliff brother, roughly the same age as Harriet. He has a physical disability and attends the local private school, though he lacks proper clothing and basic care. Despite his family's rough reputation, Curtis is gentle and tries to warn Harriet about the dangerous snakes kept at his brother's apartment.

Mr. Dial is a prominent local businessman who runs a Chevrolet dealership, owns rental properties, and teaches Sunday School. He is highly judgmental, openly favoring children from wealthy families while refusing to engage with working-class students like Curtis. He frequently uses his social connections to push aggressive car sales on his acquaintances.

Loyal is a visiting preacher from Kentucky who incorporates live, venomous snakes into his religious revivals. He uses the animals for theatrical sermons, arguing that they will only bite if God permits it. He remains oblivious to the fact that his truck is being targeted for a drug smuggling operation by his brother's prison associates.

Dix is the absentee father of the Dufresnes children. Following the trauma of his son's death, he relocated to Nashville for work, leaving his depressed wife and young daughters behind. He maintains a separate life and a girlfriend that the entire town knows about, sending money home but visiting only rarely.

Odean is a Black woman who works as the housekeeper for Libby Cleve. She has been employed by Libby since before Judge Cleve's death, and the two women share an extremely close, family-like bond. She performs lighter duties for better pay than Ida, reflecting Libby's softer nature compared to the rest of the Cleve sisters.

Lasharon is a young, impoverished girl from a working-class family who spends her days devouring books at the local library. Unkempt and burdened with childcare responsibilities, she easily dominates the summer reading contest. She seeks interaction with the Dufresnes girls but is chased away due to their family's strict class prejudices.

Carl is Lasharon's father, a working-class man who spends his time illegally gambling at the local pool hall. He firmly believes his daughter should work like an adult rather than receive an education, reflecting the cycle of poverty and lack of opportunity that defines his family's existence.

Catfish is an acquaintance of the Ratliff brothers who frequents the local pool hall. He engages in illegal gambling and serves as a minor associate in the local criminal networks.

Mr. Sumner is an older gentleman and childhood acquaintance of the Cleve sisters. He acts as a polite companion to Adelaide at family gatherings, prompting Harriet to worry that her great-aunt might consider remarrying.

Essie Lee is the current domestic worker employed by the Hull family. She attempts to enforce household rules but faces constant, malicious threats from Hely, who regularly manipulates his parents into firing the staff.

Dr. Vance runs the local Christian summer camp alongside his wife. He is enthusiastic and deeply religious, leading group activities and offering prayers for the campers' families.

Mrs. Vance assists in operating the local church camp. She shares her husband's cheerful religious demeanor and helps supervise the children attending the summer program.

Mrs. Fountain is a nosy neighbor of the Dufresnes family. She heavily dislikes the family's pets and frequently threatens to report the children's misbehavior to their parents.

Chester is a local man who performs yard work for several families in the neighborhood, including the Dufresnes. He provides Harriet with a brief moment of safety when she hides in a shed during a dangerous encounter.