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Claire
The novel’s protagonist, Claire is 14 when the novel begins and is in her late 20s by the end. At age 12, she’s selected to be a Birthmother and she has her first baby, Gabe…
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Gabe/Abe/Thirty-Six
Gabe is Claire’s son. He’s known as newchild Thirty-six in their original community and is assigned the name Gabe, though Claire mishears his name and so calls him Abe until she’s corrected years later…
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Jonas
Jonas is the boy who runs away with baby Gabe to the village where the novel’s third part takes place. In the third part, he’s a married man in his 20s who is still a…
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Trademaster
The antagonist of the novel, Trademaster isn’t human. Rather, he’s “pure evil” in a human form. He takes the form of a tall, sallow man who wears a sharp black suit, silk gloves, and a…
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The Nurturer/the Man
The Nurturer—whose name Claire never learns, and so she refers to him only as the Nurturer or “the man”—is the person who’s most involved in caring for Gabe at the Nurturing Center. He’s also Jonas…
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Get the entire Son LitChart as a printable PDF.
Lame Einar
Formerly Fierce Einar, Lame Einar is a young shepherd who lives up the hill from the village to be close to his sheep. Many think of him as reclusive and angry—but Claire realizes he’s shy…
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Alys
Alys is the elderly herbalist and midwife in the seaside village where Claire washes up. She cares for Claire and takes the young girl under her wing. Alys is steady, kind, and caring. With Alys’s…
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Tall Andras
Tall Andras is a young fisherman in the village where Claire washes up. He’s about 18 when Claire arrives, and he immediately decides he’d like to marry her. So, he throws himself into acting as…
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Kira
Kira is Jonas’s wife and Annabelle and Matthew’s mother. One of her legs is twisted, which is why she walks with a cane. Like Jonas, Kira has light blue eyes that mark her…
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Peter
Peter is Claire’s older brother by six years. They aren’t close—indeed, Claire isn’t certain he even knows who she is—as he was assigned to work in Law and Justice and has been living elsewhere…
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Sophia
One of Claire’s former age mates, Sophia is assigned to work at the Nurturing Center. Claire seeks her out when she first visits the Nurturing Center looking for Gabe and, using her former relationship with…
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Jeannette
One of Claire’s Fish Hatchery coworkers, Jeannette is surprised when, at the Ceremony, she learns her father is “gone” because the Committee of Elders gives his name to a newchild. This highlights the extremely…
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Mentor
Mentor is the teacher of Jonas and Gabe’s village at the end of the novel. He’s passionate about education and supporting his students. He grudgingly shares that years ago, he traded away his honor to…
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Minor Characters
Bethan
Bethan is one of the young girls who plays in the seaside village and spends a lot of time with Claire. When Claire vows to climb out of the village, Alys begins teaching Bethan to be a herbalist and midwife to take her place.
Bryn
A seaside village woman, Bryn is Bethan and Elen’s mother. She also has twin boys who are never named. In between having Bethan and Elen, Bryn had several miscarriages. She and Claire become friendly, and Claire shares with Bryn her experience giving birth after attending Elen’s birth.
Matty
Deceased in the novel’s present, Matty was the protagonist of Messenger. He sacrificed himself for the good of the village, helping to (temporarily) vanquish evil, Trademaster, and Trade Mart. Gabe saw him as a mentor, and everyone loved him.
Nancy
Nancy is a former Vessel who is assigned to work in Farm after she gives birth to her third Product.
Dmitri
Dmitri runs the Fish Hatchery. He’s slightly older than Claire and has applied for a spouse, something the younger workers tease him about.
Edith
Edith is one of Claire’s coworkers at the Fish Hatchery. She’s very focused on following the rules.
Eric
Eric is one of Claire’s coworkers at the Fish Hatchery.
Rolf
Rolf is one of Claire’s coworkers at the Fish Hatchery.
Heather
Heather is a Fish Hatchery worker who works with Claire.
Marie
Marie is the cook on the supply boat. Claire finds her fascinating, both because Marie is from Elsewhere and because Marie is overweight (since overweight people simply doesn’t exist in Claire’s community).
Old Benedikt
Old Benedikt is the fisherman who rescues Claire from the sea when she washes up near the shore.
Delwyth
Delwyth is one of the young girls who plays around the seaside village and spends a lot of time with Claire.
Eira
Eira is one of the young girls in the seaside village who spends a lot of time with Claire.
Eilwyn
Eilwyn is Tall Andras’s mother. She dies not long after Claire comes to live in the seaside village.
Elen
Elen is Bryn’s daughter, who’s born months after Claire arrives in the seaside village. Claire joins Alys to help with her birth—and witnessing it causes Claire to remember her own traumatic labor and birth with Gabe.
Simon
Simon is one of Gabe’s friends at the Boys’ Lodge.
Nathaniel
Nathaniel is one of Gabe’s friends. He lives with his parents and sister, Deirdre, and seems to be Gabe’s closest friend in the village.
Deirdre
Deirdre is Nathaniel’s little sister. Gabe has a crush on her, and Nathaniel implies that Deirdre reciprocates it.
Annabelle
Annabelle is Jonas and Kira’s one-year-old daughter. She has just learned to walk.
Matthew
Matthew is Jonas and Kira’s two-year-old son.
Herbalist
Herbalist is the healer in the village in Book Three.
Tarik
Tarik is one of Gabe’s friend at the Boys’ Lodge.
