Ahmed: The main character. An eighth child who was born a female, but was raised and presented to the society as a male. It is "his" story that is being told and "his" journal that is being read to the audience.
Story teller/narrator: multiple, with varying connection to Ahmed, character(s) as well as narrator(s)
Malika: She is the loyal female housekeeper/maid of the house. She is discreet, gentle and "never asked questions".
Ahmed's mother: She is the mother of Ahmed and 7 other daughters. She is obedient and subservient to her husband.
Ahmed's father: He is the father of Ahmed. He is traditional, desperately wants a son to continue his lineage and inheritance. He blames his wife, whom he physically abuses, for not giving him a son. He is the person who decides Ahmed, his last born daughter, to be raised as a male.
Fatima: She is Ahmed's cousin. She is born with a limp and is epileptic, and has always been treated as a failure by her family and the society. She is taken by Ahmed as his wife and is used to cover up "his" secret. She dies early in life.
Um Abbas: female, leader of a circus, takes Ahmed in
Lalla Zahra: Ahmed's female persona (98).
Salem: 1st of the three alternate end storytellers, black son of slave.
Amar: 2nd of the three alternate end storytellers. He is a retired school teacher and says that he has salvaged the manuscript.
Fatuma: Last of the three alternate end storytellers. An old woman, literate, comes from family that was happy to have daughters, has no children or a husband.
