She is an unnamed novelist living on an island where objects and the memories associated with them are systematically erased. Working from her family home, she writes her manuscripts slowly by hand. When she discovers that her editor retains his memories, she subverts the oppressive government by building a secret room to hide him. She relies on writing as a way to hold onto her identity.

The widower of the protagonist's childhood nurse. He is a retired ferry mechanic who lives on his boat following the disappearance of ferries from the island. Functioning as a father figure to the protagonist, he assists her in building and maintaining the secret room for her editor. He actively works to preserve the safety of those around him despite experiencing memory loss himself.

The protagonist's editor at the publishing house. Unlike most islanders, he possesses a rare genetic trait that allows him to remember disappeared objects perfectly. This ability makes him a target for the authorities, forcing him into hiding in a secret room between the floors of the protagonist's house. He leaves his pregnant wife behind to ensure her safety.

A character in the protagonist's novel. He begins as a typing instructor but reveals himself as a sadistic captor who traps women's voices inside broken typewriters. He holds the typist prisoner in a clock tower.

The nameless, faceless enforcers of the island's disappearances. Wearing uniforms distinguished only by badges and medals, they conduct random searches, burn contraband, and permanently detain citizens who retain their memories of forbidden objects.

A sculptor who was taken away by the authorities when the protagonist was a child. She possessed the rare ability to remember forgotten objects and secretly hid these taboo items inside her abstract sculptures. Her actions leave a lasting legacy for her daughter.

A former ornithologist who lost his livelihood when birds disappeared from the island. Following this disappearance, his office was raided by authorities who destroyed all his research materials. The small storage space below his office later becomes crucial to his daughter.

A dermatologist and old family friend of the protagonist. He and his family go on the run to evade a summons from the authorities, who want to use his research at their genetic analysis center. Before fleeing, he leaves several of the protagonist's mother's sculptures behind for safekeeping.

The fictional narrator of the protagonist's novel-in-progress. She is a woman who loses her voice and becomes trapped in a room full of broken typewriters. Her slow loss of physical autonomy mirrors the events happening in the real world of the island.

A dog originally belonging to an unnamed couple in the protagonist's neighborhood. After his owners are taken away in the night, the protagonist adopts him. He is named after the word written on the side of his doghouse.

R's spouse who remains in the outside world while he is concealed in the secret room. Pregnant at the time of his disappearance, she gives birth to their child at her parents' house and communicates with her hidden husband via a drop box at an abandoned meteorological station.

One of the protagonist's unnamed neighbors on the island. He temporarily moves his family into the protagonist's home, creating a tense situation where the protagonist must be extremely cautious to keep the secret room hidden from her houseguests.

The young son of the professor. He flees his home alongside his family to avoid a police summons. During his brief stay at the protagonist's house, she clips his nails and notices his distinctive hand-knit gloves.

The spouse of the professor. She abandons her home and faculty apartment alongside her husband and children to escape a summons from the authorities.