Quoyle is a 36-year-old man marked by a prominent chin and a lifetime of low self-esteem. Raised in a highly abusive environment by his father and brother, he possesses a passive nature that makes him a target for mistreatment, particularly by his cruel wife, Petal. Following a rapid series of family tragedies, he uproots his life and moves his two daughters to his ancestral home in Newfoundland. There, he takes a job writing the shipping news for a local paper, beginning a slow process of building competence and self-worth.

Agnis is Quoyle's pragmatic, resourceful paternal aunt. She proposes the move to Newfoundland, seeking to reclaim the dilapidated family homestead on Quoyle's Point. A skilled yacht upholsterer who runs her own business, she provides a stabilizing matriarchal presence for the family. Her hardened exterior and strict practicality are survival mechanisms shaped by a difficult upbringing in the rugged outports.

Wavey is a tall, calm local woman who works at the school library. She is fiercely dedicated to her son, Herry, and actively organizes other parents to demand special education resources. Having lost her husband to an oil rig disaster, she carries a profound sorrow that mirrors Quoyle's own losses, allowing them to form a connection based on mutual care and understanding.

Jack is the grizzled, stubborn founder and publisher of *The Gammy Bird*. An ex-fisherman who grew deeply disillusioned with failed government modernization programs, he started the newspaper to reflect the unvarnished reality of outport life. He acts as a demanding but perceptive mentor to Quoyle, assigning him to the shipping news and pushing him to engage directly with the town's difficult environment.

Petal is Quoyle's aggressive, serially unfaithful late wife. She views Quoyle's passive devotion with intense disgust and actively neglects their two young children. Her chaotic behavior, constant infidelity, and ultimate abandonment of her family set the plot in motion, leaving Quoyle to untangle the psychological damage she inflicted.

Billy is an elderly reporter at the newspaper who manages the "Home News" section and secretly authors the libelous local gossip column. As a lifelong resident of the region, he holds an intimate knowledge of outport history, folklore, and the brutal legacy of the Quoyle family. He frequently acts as a guide for Quoyle, explaining local customs and navigating the treacherous waters.

Tertius is the querulous managing editor of *The Gammy Bird*. He is a cynical and abrasive man who frequently inserts typographical errors into his reporters' stories and openly dreams of moving to Florida to escape the brutal winters. He strongly advocates for industrial modernization, often clashing with others who value traditional outport life.

Bunny and Sunshine are Quoyle's two young daughters. Sunshine, the younger of the two, adapts relatively easily to their new life. Bunny, however, is deeply traumatized by her mother's abandonment and manifests her fears through behavioral outbursts and terrifying visions of a menacing white dog. Their father's gentle, consistent care slowly helps them establish trust in their new environment.

Dennis is a skilled local carpenter and the estranged youngest son of Jack Buggit. He survived a harrowing disaster at sea, an event that terrified his father and led Jack to forbid him from ever boarding a boat again. Defying this rule, Dennis maintains a deep draw to the water, causing a painful rift in their family. He frequently assists Quoyle with practical matters around town.

Nutbeem is an eccentric British expatriate who works as the foreign correspondent for *The Gammy Bird*. Because Killick-Claw is so isolated, he generates his news by listening to shortwave radio broadcasts and rewriting them. He lives in a trailer and constantly talks about his grand plans to build a boat and sail to warmer climates.

Nolan is an elderly, estranged relative of Quoyle who refused to leave his home during the government resettlement programs. He lives in absolute poverty in the deserted village of Capsize Cove. Harboring deep resentments about the family's history, he practices crude folk magic by leaving knotted strings around Quoyle's property.

Partridge is a former reporter who serves as Quoyle's only real friend during his miserable years in Mockingburg. He teaches Quoyle the basics of journalism and later uses his industry connections to secure Quoyle the job at *The Gammy Bird*. He eventually leaves the newspaper business to become a long-haul trucker with his wife.

Herry is Wavey Prowse's young son who has Down's syndrome. He is a cheerful presence in Killick-Claw and benefits from the special education class his mother fiercely campaigned to establish.

Mavis is an older widow who works as an employee for Agnis Hamm. She is practical, deeply integrated into the town's social fabric, and serves as an important source of local gossip and community knowledge.

Alvin is a highly skilled local boat builder. He strictly adheres to traditional methods, insisting on cutting green wood from the forest rather than using dried lumber. He helps Quoyle establish a secure, physical connection to the challenging environment.

Beety is Dennis Buggit's wife. She manages a busy home and frequently looks after Bunny and Sunshine while Quoyle works. She is an active member of the community who helps establish a local women's shelter.

Guy is Quoyle's late father, a deeply abusive man whose constant verbal assaults fundamentally shaped Quoyle's low self-esteem. He dies early in the narrative, leaving behind a final, self-pitying voicemail and a profound legacy of psychological pain that his family must work to overcome.

Bayonet is the wealthy, obnoxious owner of the *Tough Baby*, a massive Dutch yacht docked in the harbor. His presence represents an invasive, destructive force of wealth that severely contrasts with the practical struggles of the local outport fishermen.