The Woods

Paul’s girlfriend from the summer of the Camp PLUS murders is Lucy Silverstein. She changed her surname to Gold after the lawsuit against her father, Ira. Lucy dyed her hair from blonde to brown to hide her identity, and she has green eyes. At 37, Lucy has never married and can’t stay in relationships for long. She lives a solitary life in faculty housing at the university where she teaches, as most of the money she earns goes toward Ira’s care. Lucy thinks her life is “pathetic” and denigratingly calls herself a spinster. She has almost no close relationships and spends much of her time alone listening to sad music. Lucy has been in love with Paul for 20 years, but purposely pushed him away after the murders because of her shame.

Lucy’s lack of confidence makes her awkward, and she claims, “I babble when I get nervous” (195). She’s most confident in the classroom, where she facilitates discussions and takes pride in molding students’ minds. Students rate Lucy highly as a professor, and she considers them her temporary family each semester. She holds a PhD in both English and Psychology. She’s good at reading people and can describe their actions in “technical term[s]” (246), though her deep analyses sometimes make others uncomfortable.

The anonymous journal completely shakes up Lucy’s life. She concealed that she was in the woods that night with Paul and intentionally lured him out there on Wayne’s request. Lucy blames herself for unknowingly helping Wayne murder Margot and Doug, and she has tried to numb her remorse with vodka ever since. When her drinking was severe, Lucy was twice convicted of driving under the influence. The journal brings her pent-up emotions to the surface, terrifying Lucy into breaking her ethics to seek out the author. She turns the negative circumstances into an opportunity to reconnect with Paul, and they rekindle their love, but their future is uncertain at the novel’s end, as Paul realizes Lucy has been lying to him.

Paul’s chief investigator, Loren Muse, is a minor, dynamic character. Muse is a single woman in her thirties, which Paul thinks makes her more dedicated to her career. He hired her because she’s “an incredibly gifted investigator” (27). Muse often goes off on her own—with or without Paul’s permission—to find evidence or background information, like when she looks into Lucy’s past, even when Paul asks her not to. Muse hates that she must always prove herself to the men in her profession because of her gender. A city girl, she detests the outdoors, and her distaste for anything “backwoods” puts her in conflict with some Camp PLUS investigators. Paul describes Muse as being “five feet tall and [weighing] about as much as a fourth grader” (27). She dresses practically rather than fashionably.

Muse is loyal to Paul as her boss and friend, but questions about Paul’s involvement in the Camp PLUS murders make her question whether she can trust him. She reminds herself to be unbiased in investigating since justice and truth are the values she and Paul both prize. Muse normally banters lightheartedly with Paul, so he can tell when she’s suspicious of him and changes to “her game face” (352). Muse considers Paul a genius, so the accusations of his guilt affect her deeply. Her many connections are useful during Paul’s investigation. In the Epilogue, Paul sums up her reliability: “Muse remains Muse. And I’m thankful for that” (394).

The two true Camp PLUS victims, Margot Green and Doug Billingham, are minor characters who appear in the other characters’ memories. Margot was the “camp hottie” whom all the boys liked because she was “blond and busty” (60). She came from a rich family and dated Gil Perez for the summer, but she broke up with him the night before the murders. Doug Billingham, who was also rich, was Camille’s boyfriend for the summer. Wayne killed both Margot and Doug and buried them in the woods, where police found their bodies.

Gil Perez and Camille Copeland both escaped the woods but were presumed dead by authorities since their bodies were never found. The uncertainty about their lives creates the central mystery in the text. After 20 years, Gil returns using an alias, Manolo Santiago, seeking revenge against Paul, whom he blames for not preventing the murders. Gil helps MVD for the money, but his efforts lead Ira to kill him. Gil has a recognizable, ragged scar on his left arm, which helps Paul identify him. Camille returns to Paul’s life at the novel’s end after hiding for 20 years. Paul remembers her as “mischievous, with lively eyes and a sideways devil-may-care grin” (19). Camille and Gil both willingly participated in the prank against Margot, and they stay hidden lest they take the fall for Wayne’s actions. Camille makes up for lost time with Paul by being overly affectionate, but she remains reserved about her time in hiding.

Alexander Stekierky, known as Uncle Sosh, is a minor, static character. He’s Vladimir Copeland’s close friend from the Soviet Union and a former KGB agent, and he worked as an undercover spy in a travel agency, though he looks back on this time with disgust. Sosh feels like he was one of “the dirty henchmen of the gods” (361) who bullied people with less power. He’s surrounded by retired KGB agents, like his guard Alexei, who like to reminisce about the good old days. Sosh still uses his connections to seek out information, which Paul relies on to learn about his family’s past. After living in the US, Sosh gained immense wealth, but he feels like comfort has made him soft. Sosh grew up under the Siege of Leningrad and lived on limited rations, so he understands suffering. Sosh tries to forget this painful past, and he wants Vladimir and Paul to do the same, since wallowing in thoughts about the dead only brings more agony.

The minor characters Greta and Bob are Paul’s in-laws. Greta is Jane’s sister, who had a crush on Paul before he fell in love with Jane. Paul thinks that Greta and Jane look similar but that Greta is “the ugly sister” (8). He often calls Greta an angel because she selflessly helps him navigate single fatherhood by caring for Cara when he’s busy. Greta loses her angelic qualities when Paul refuses to lie for Bob during the embezzlement scandal. Although she blames Paul for abandoning Jane on her deathbed and trying to make up for it after the fact, Greta continues to care for Cara because she’s blood-related. However, she refuses to interact with Paul.

Paul thinks Bob is an honest, hardworking man underneath his “bad-guy rich Republican” (197) exterior. Bob is on the voluntary board of JaneCare and works tirelessly for the charity. He becomes nervous and jittery as Jenrette looks into JaneCare because he wants to keep his illicit borrowing a secret. Bob’s embezzlement is a major betrayal for Paul, as he can’t conceive of Bob stealing money for something as inconsequential as a pool. Paul ultimately helps Bob make bail and lies on his behalf to save his family from breaking apart.

Paul’s parents, Vladimir and Natasha Copeland, are minor characters. They appear primarily in Paul and Sosh’s memories: Vladimir dies in the Prologue, and Natasha disappears after Camille’s death. Vladimir anglicized the family’s surname from Copinsky when they emigrated from the Soviet Union so that they wouldn’t face discrimination for being Jewish. Vladimir was once a licensed medical doctor, and Natasha was an aristocratic daughter of intellectuals, but Vladimir couldn’t practice medicine in America, so they lived in poverty. Natasha was a “frail beauty” (39) who was too proud for a life of labor, so she always looked for money or connections to escape their circumstances.

Vladimir secretly betrayed Natasha’s parents to the Soviet authorities so that his family could have a better life in the US, but this betrayal “haunted him” for the rest of his life. Natasha was broken by her parents’ death, and when she learned of Vladimir’s betrayal, she developed a deep hatred for her husband. Her anger was so intense that she concealed that Camille was still alive, and she intended to run away with Paul to be with Camille. Paul holds a heroic view of his “beloved father” because Vladimir never stopped searching for Camille and always protected him.

A minor antagonist in the novel, Wayne Steubens is a convicted serial murderer known as the Summer Slasher. He was a counsellor at Camp PLUS when he killed Margot Green and Doug Billingham, and he later killed four other campers across the country. Wayne’s modus operandi is stabbing and burying his victims alive. He’s a pathological liar who will fib about anything “just to lie” (246), but the other teens thought Wayne was harmless or just a “dickhead.” Wayne fits the profile of a psychopath because of his history of violence against animals and his relationship with his overprotective mother. His rich family shielded him from facing any consequences for his actions.

Wayne has served 18 years in prison, though he looks like he “barely aged in twenty years” (246-47). Wayne speaks casually and conspiratorially with Paul as if they were still friends gossiping about fellow campers. Wayne encourages Paul’s doubts about the Camp PLUS murders and teases Paul with secret information he knows. Though Wayne professes his innocence throughout the text, he ultimately confesses to killing Margot and Doug and to leaking information to MVD.

The minor characters Jane and Cara Copeland are members of Paul’s nuclear family. Jane is Paul’s wife, who died five years before the novel’s action. He calls her “my Jane” (40) and “my lovely dead bride” (8). Whenever he remembers her, he praises her strength, bravery, practicality, and patience. Paul constantly compares himself to Jane, to whom he feels inferior. Jane had a terminal illness, living under home hospice care during her last days, and Paul is wracked with guilt for abandoning her in her final hours.

Cara is Paul and Jane’s six-year-old child. She’s temperamental, and her mood rapidly swings from happy to sulky. Paul thinks Cara’s negative qualities, especially her stubbornness, all “seemed to emanate from her father” (41). Paul believes that she’s emotionally dysregulated because she was so young when her mother died. Cara shows little affection for her father, especially when other people are around, though she’s often sweet when they’re alone. Cara spends much of her time with her nanny and with Greta, Bob, and their children.

Lucy’s father, Ira Silverstein, is a minor character. He lives in an expensive rehab facility because he has dementia and an incredibly sensitive disposition. Ira gained his fortune in pharmaceuticals but used his money to buy the Camp PLUS property, which he originally envisioned as a commune. Once a happy, free-loving hippie, Ira raised Lucy without boundaries. He smoked marijuana openly and drove a bright yellow VW Beetle. Lucy calls Ira by his first name, and the campers called him Uncle Ira. After the murders and the lawsuit, which stripped him of the camp, Ira mentally deteriorated. He latches onto the 1960s as a decade of comfort, wearing an old-school poncho and keeping his grey hair and beard long. Memories of the murders agitate him so much that when both Gil and Paul threaten to resurface the mystery, he kills Gil and tries to shoot Paul. Ira dies by suicide to avoid having to confess to what he knows.

The 16-year-old African American girl Chamique Johnson is a minor but dynamic character. She accuses Edward Jenrette and Barry Marantz of raping her. Her poor economic status led her into a life of underage sex work, stripping, and drug use. Chamique has a 15-month-old son. She tries to appear strong throughout the trial, and she keeps “her head high” (64) even when she cries. Paul instructs Chamique to be honest about her supposed faults for the jury. Chamique dresses to appear older, though her mannerisms and naivete give away her youth. Chamique claims that getting money is her main goal, but she also wants justice. Chamique almost recants her statements to settle out of court, but she sticks with the trial, receiving both legal justice and a large payout in the end.

Mr. and Mrs. Perez and their daughter, Glenda, are minor characters and Gil’s family. Mr. and Mrs. Perez are antagonists, as they impede Paul’s quest for the truth because they want to protect Gil and their other children. The Perezes were poor before the murders, and Mrs. Perez worked in the camp’s laundry room. They used the lawsuit money to pay for their children’s medical care and education, and they opened businesses. Paul’s investigation threatens both to undo the comfortable life the Perezes built and to expose them as liars in an official police investigation. Mrs. Perez is the stronger of the two when facing Gil’s murder, and Mr. Perez struggles to hide his grief, which encourages Paul to keep digging. Mrs. Perez ultimately confesses everything she knows about the murders to Paul. Gil’s older sister, Glenda, became a lawyer. She tries to legally prevent Paul from investigating her family, but Paul’s grief is so touching that Glenda gives him information that Camille is alive.

Detectives Tucker York and Don Dillon are minor characters. York and Dillon begin as antagonists against Paul since they suspect him of being involved in Manolo Santiago’s murder. By the novel’s end, the detectives believe in Paul’s innocence, helping with his investigation and even helping save his life. York and Dillon are foils for one another and exacerbate their differences through a good-cop-bad-cop routine. York is the “good cop,” pleasantly trying to get Paul to open up via camaraderie. Conversely, Dillon yells at and threatens Paul. Their physical appearances mirror their polarity: York is tall and thin, whereas Dillon is short and overweight. Paul develops a friendlier relationship with York, and the two frequently call one another to give updates on their investigations.

The defense lawyers for Edward Jenrette and Barry Marantz, Flair Hickory and Mort Pubin, are minor antagonists. They’re foil characters who have opposite personalities. Whereas Flair is reserved and calculated, Mort is a loudmouth and impulsive. Mort makes angry objections in court and uses vulgar expletives behind closed doors. Flair, conversely, sits quietly observing and speaks only when he knows his words will do the most damage to his opponent. Paul has immense respect for Flair’s intellect and strategy but thinks Mort acts like a child. Flair intimidates Paul not only because he’s a dangerously good lawyer but also because he’s a flamboyant gay man who isn’t shy with criticisms. Though the two men increase Paul’s stress about Chamique’s case, Paul respects Flair’s skills enough to consider hiring him to help Bob.

The minor character Raya Singh is an undercover private investigator for MVD who pretends to be Manolo Santiago/Gil Perez’s girlfriend. She’s an “absolutely stunning” (107) young woman of Indian descent who is so beautiful that Paul feels bashful and nervous when he’s around her. Raya feeds Paul a story about wanting a better life in the US with a man to please because she thinks he’ll easily fall for it, which he does. She speaks coyly and teasingly when she’s in character, but when she asks the real questions she’s after, it’s as if she “[looks] right through [him]” (147). Raya eventually comes clean to Paul, and she feels relieved because she considers him trustworthy. Raya leaves MVD to work with Cingle Shaker.

The father of Edward Jenrette, EJ Jenrette, is a minor antagonist. A powerful, wealthy man, he uses his money and connections to pressure Paul into dropping the charges against his son. Jenrette is deeply concerned about his son’s future and thinks jail time will harm Edward’s opportunities. Jenrette first tries to offer Paul bribes and, when that doesn’t work, threatens to expose any mistakes in Paul’s past, claiming, “I will do whatever I can to protect my child” (80). Jenrette hires MVD to investigate Paul without any care for cost or the legality of their methods. Jenrette acts smug and gloats whenever he hurts Paul. When Paul doesn’t crack, Jenrette goes after the judge, who succumbs to his extortion.

The minor character Cingle Shaker plays a central role in revealing information to Paul. Cingle is a private detective who used to work for MVD, often in undercover roles such as seducing adulterous husbands. Cingle “has a body that not only stops traffic, it pulls up the road” (55), and she uses her looks as an asset in her investigative work. She pretends that she’s an adult film star to discover the connection between the names Cal and Jim from the fraternity brothers, and she helps Paul learn that Raya is an undercover agent. Cingle eventually hires Raya to work with her.