Kevin O'Brien
Kevin, the story's protagonist, is a young boy growing up in a small town in Nova Scotia. He faces bullying and struggles with living with his poor and abusive family. He is shown to be very intelligent, but still trapped in his life circumstances.
Judd
Kevin's alcoholic, abusive father. He has a complicated relationship with Kevin, and forces him to become tougher and grow up faster than he should.
Mary
Kevin's young mother, who makes some attempt to protect Kevin from his father and the outside world, but is dealing with many emotional issues of her own. She knows she can't truly save Kevin, and makes many difficult decisions along the way.
