Kya (Catherine Danielle Clark)
Born in the marshes of North Carolina, Kya is the novel’s protagonist. When Kya is a young child, her entire family abandons her, leaving her to fend for herself in the marsh. Kya enjoys a strong connection with nature and educates herself in wildlife biology, eventually publishing several books on the marsh ecosystem. She suffers abuse and discrimination from the locals who call her “The Marsh Girl.” Eventually, this prejudice culminates in Kya being a suspect in Chase Andrews' murder, for which she stands trial.
Chase Andrews
Chase Andrews is the wealthy, popular son of a prominent Barkley Cove family. Chase Andrews is a star athlete and the town's "golden boy." Throughout her childhood, Kya watches Chase and his friends from afar, longing to join them.
When Kya is 19, she longs for sexual and emotional companionship and seeks out Chase, who is intrigued by Kya's mysterious lifestyle and unusual beauty. Though at points Kya and Chase's mutual affection is genuine, they are highly incompatible.
As their relationship progresses, Chase pressures Kya to be physically intimate; at the same time, he seduces many women in Barkley Cove. When Kya discovers Chase's engagement to another woman, she ends their relationship. Chase, unused to being rejected, violently assaults Kya and attempts to rape her. Kya fights back, and later, Chase is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Kya is put on trial for his murder.
Tate Walker
Tate Walker is Kya's first love and eventual life partner. What starts out as a childhood friendship develops into an intense romance when Tate teaches Kya to read and comes to share her life in the marsh. Tate admires Kya's intimate understanding of wildlife, as he plans to become a research biologist.
When Tate leaves for college and experiences the world beyond the marsh, he believes Kya can never fit into the academic world. Tate breaks his promise to return to Kya, and regrets this decision for the rest of his life.
Over time, Kya forgives Tate, who encourages her to publish her extensive research. After Kya's trial and the death of Tate's father, Kya and Tate spend the rest of their lives together living in the marsh.
Pa (Jackson Henry Clark)
Pa is Kya’s alcoholic and physically abusive father. Son of a formerly wealthy family who lost everything in the Great Depression, Pa feels deprived of his birthright. He marries Julienne Maria Jacques by deceiving her into believing he is better off financially than he is; throughout their marriage, Pa breaks promises to his wife, drinking and gambling away their savings. Additionally, during WWII, Pa sustained an injury resulting from cowardly inaction. Back home, he is regarded as a war hero, compounding his guilt and shame.
Pa physically, verbally, and emotionally abuses his entire family, nearly killing his wife on several occasions and permanently scarring Jodie's face. Other than Kya, his entire family escapes him. After a brief period of fatherly companionship with Kya, Pa disappears, and Kya never learns if he lived or died.
Ma (Julienne Maria Jacques)
Daughter of French New Orleans factory owners, Ma marries Pa believing he is well-off financially. Ma enjoyed painting and poetry, and Kya remembers her as a spontaneous, fun-loving, and elegant woman. After suffering years of abuse, Ma endures a dissociative episode and returns to her family in New Orleans, too traumatized to speak or even remember her children. Though Kya maintains hope that her mother will return, Ma stays in New Orleans until her death from leukemia, fearing her husband will beat her children "unrecognizable" if she returns.
Jodie (Jeremy Andrew Clark)
Jodie is Kya's older brother and close companion who taught her the basic skills for living in the marsh. Jodie defends Kya and his mother from Pa before eventually abandoning the family. Though Jodie's choice ensured his survival, he harbors guilt for the rest of his life. Jodie serves in the Vietnam war before earning a degree in engineering. He returns to Kya after seeing her published book in a shop. Jodie also supports Kya at her trial, and they maintain a close relationship for the duration of Kya's life.
Jumpin'
Jumpin' is the third-generation owner of a "Gas and Bait" shop where marsh people and townsfolk purchase gas and supplies. Jumpin' is the first to notice Kya's abandonment and steps in as a surrogate father. He purchases mussels and worthless smoked fish from Kya to ensure she has food and gas for her boat. He also protects Kya by looking out for her after Chase's assault and confirming her alibi to the authorities.
Mabel
Jumpin's wife, Mabel, plays a maternal role in Kya's life after losing her biological child. Mabel organizes clothing donations from the local church, gives Kya gardening advice, and provides emotional support during significant moments in Kya's life, like getting her first menstrual period and her murder trial, all the while enduring significant racial discrimination.
Sheriff Ed Jackson and Deputy Joe Purdue
Ed Jackson is Barkley Cove's elected sheriff. He rarely investigates crimes in the marsh, unconcerned with "rats killing rats." However, when two boys discover Chase Andrews' body, Sheriff Jackson, along with Deputy Joe Purdue, launches an exhaustive investigation after immediately suspecting Kya. The Deputy and Sheriff listen to the town gossip and fail to get a statement from Kya.
When Sheriff Jackson gives testimony, Tom Milton exposes his lazy detective work and unspoken prejudices. Ultimately, Sheriff Jackson's self-contradictory testimony convinces the jury to acquit Kya.
Amanda Hamilton
Amanda Hamilton is a poet who frequently publishes in the Barkley Cove newspaper. Kya frequently recites Amanda Hamilton's poems at pivotal points in her life. At the text's conclusion, Tate discovers that Amanda Hamilton was Kya's pen name.
Big Red
Kya's closest companions are the seagulls she feeds each day. Big Red is her favorite gull, named for the red mark on his bill.
Scupper
Scupper is a shrimper and Tate Walker's father. After the death of his wife and daughter, Scupper raises Tate himself. He appreciates poetry and opera and tries to instill a sense of positive masculinity in his son.
Though Scupper is initially prejudiced against Kya, he ultimately supports her and Tate. A few months after Kya's trial, Scupper dies.
Tom Milton
Tom Milton is a respected lawyer in Barkley Cove who comes out of retirement to represent Kya. Using simple, logical arguments and an emotional appeal for the town to "at last" be "fair to the Marsh Girl," Tom Milton convinces the jury to return a "not guilty" verdict.
Eric Chastain
Eric Chastain is the prosecuting attorney for Kya's case. Kya compares him to a "lesser male" bird using flashy clothes and rhetorical devices to convince the jury of Kya's guilt.
Patti Love Andrews
Patti Love is Chase's mother and part-owner of the Western Auto shop. A haughty, prominent woman concerned with appearances, Patti Love is appalled when she discovers Chase and Kya's relationship. Patti Love brings evidence to the sheriff and deputy that Chase's shell necklace, which Kya had given him, was missing from his corpse. She also testifies against Kya, providing a handmade journal Kya gave Chase as evidence.
Miss Pansy Price
A "saleslady in fabric and notions," Pansy is part of a formerly wealthy North Carolina family. She is eccentric, wearing silk turbans and makeup. Pansy corroborates Kya's alibi, attesting she saw Kya arrive and depart on the Greenville bus.
Mrs. Singletary
An older cashier at the Piggly Wiggly convenience store, Mrs. Singletary looks out for Kya by asking about her parents' whereabouts and giving Kya extra change before the girl learns to count. She is relieved by the trial's "not guilty" verdict.
Mrs. Teresa White
The wife of a methodist preacher, Mrs. Teresa White insults Kya and refuses to let her play with her daughter. Mrs. White believes that "swamp trash" like Kya are "plumb nasty" and responsible for diseases in Barkley Cove. Teresa White embodies Barkley Cove's deep-rooted prejudices, and she serves as a juror in Kya's trial.
Mrs. Culpepper
Mrs. Culpepper is a truant officer who uses the promise of "chicken pie" to convince Kya to attend school. After other students humiliate Kya and she refuses to return to the classroom, Mrs. Culpepper frequently returns to the marsh but ultimately decides to leave Kya alone. She maintains a fondness for "the Marsh Girl," which she worries will be a conflict of interest when serving on the jury.
Trial Witnesses
Dr. Steward Cone
The town coroner, Dr. Steward Cone, testifies that the red fibers on Chase's coat matched Kya's hat but could have attached during any period of their relationship. Dr. Cone also states that Chase's injuries were consistent with falling backward off the fire tower, but there was no physical evidence to suggest he was pushed.
Rodney Horn
A retired mechanic, Rodney Horn testifies that he heard Kya and Chase fighting and then Kya threatening Chase, though he did not intervene. On the stand, Rodney Horn calls Kya "Marsh Girl."
Hal Miller
Hal Miller is a shrimper who informs the deputy and sheriff that he saw Kya heading to the fire tower the night of Chase's murder. After Tom Milton argues that it was impossible to identify Kya on the night in question, Hal second-guesses his own account.
Larry Price
A bus driver, Larry Price testifies Kya rode the bus to Greenville the day of Chase's murder and back to Barkley Cove the morning after. The sheriff convinces Larry Price that a strange-looking young man could have been Kya in disguise.
Robert Foster
Kya's editor. Robert Foster testifies that he met with Kya the night of Chase's murder. During the trial, he also explains Kya's introverted personality and sits with her friends as a show of support for his "favorite author."
Lang Forlough
The lecherous owner of The Three Mountains Motel, Lang Forlough testifies that Kya did not leave her room on the night of Chase's murder.
Tim O'Neal
A shrimper and upstanding citizen, Tim O'Neal testifies that it was impossible to tell if the boat heading to the fire tower belonged to Kya. Because of Tim's reputation as a "quiet and serious, honest and gracious" man, he is the "perfect last witness."
