Next

John Wade/Sorcerer

A disgraced politician, Kathy’s husband, and the book’s protagonist. John, now in his late thirties, is a Vietnam War veteran and former politician. He suffered a humiliating defeat following the revelation of the role he played in the massacre at Thuan Yen in 1968, also known as the My Lai Massacre, in the Vietnam War. John takes on the nickname “Sorcerer” while in Vietnam.

Read an in-depth analysis of John Wade.

Kathleen “Kathy” Wade 

An admissions director for the University of Minnesota and John’s wife. Kathy is a woman in her late thirties who deeply loves her husband but has long been unhappy in her role as a politician’s wife. She works to help support her husband’s campaigns. She goes missing from the cottage on the lake one day.

Read an in-depth analysis of Kathy Wade.

 

Narrator 

The novel’s unnamed narrator is a Vietnam War veteran. The narrator generally stays invisible, but his thoughts and background emerge in several footnotes. The narrator has spent years researching John and Kathy. He reveals that most of the words written in this book are only suppositions or reconstructions of events based as closely as possible on evidence.

Read an in-depth analysis of the Narrator.

Anthony “Tony” Carbo 

John’s campaign manager. Tony is an overweight, unattractive, and cynical man. His campaign strategy focuses on image, not issues, which wins John four straight elections. Tony and John are not close friends, but they are compatible. Tony has a crush on Kathy and remained on John’s campaign after he knew it was doomed just to be around her.

Claude Rasmussen 

A wealthy Democratic Party donor and husband of Ruth. Claude, almost eighty years old, owns the cottage where John and Kathy retreat after the election. Claude is in poor health due to a bad heart and smoking habit, but he is still sharp and alert. Claude owns many acres of property around the lake. He takes John out to search every day for Kathy, and the two men become close friends. Claude leaves John the keys to his boat, which allows John to disappear at the end of the novel. Claude dies in the four years after John’s disappearance.

Paul Wade 

John’s father and Eleanor’s husband. Paul is a depressed alcoholic who bullies his son John and often withholds affection. Throughout John’s childhood, Paul teases John for his size, calling him Jiggling John and making fun of him for practicing magic. Among the neighbors and other kids, Paul is charismatic and popular. Despite receiving treatment for alcoholism at a state center, Paul commits suicide by hanging himself in the garage when John is in high school.

Patricia “Pat” Hood 

Kathy’s sister and only living relative. Pat, a gym owner, is described as a taller, more muscular version of Kathy. She is twice divorced, and John thinks she doesn’t trust men. Pat claims that Kathy was afraid of John’s yelling in his sleep and knew about his spying behavior. Pat and John have never enjoyed a close relationship and talk little when she comes to the cottage to aid in the search for Kathy. Pat doesn’t understand why it took John two days to let her know Kathy was missing. By the end of the novel, Pat seems convinced that John caused Kathy’s disappearance.

Richard Thinbill 

A soldier in Charlie Company. Richard Thinbill is an eighteen-year-old soldier. Alone among the men, Thinbill claims to have shot no one, but he still shows enduring trauma from the day of the massacre, particularly in his recollection of the flies. At the time, Thinbill suggested that he and John report what happened at Thuan Yen. Thinbill talked with John’s opposing candidate’s team and is responsible for revealing John’s identity as Sorcerer, though he didn’t intend to do so.

Arthur “Art” Lux 

The sheriff of Lake of the Woods County. Art leads the official search to find Kathy, which comes to include the search of the cottage and its property. He focuses on the facts, not theories, around her disappearance. At first, Art seems supportive of John, but as the novel progresses, his actions indicate he may be swayed into thinking John is guilty.

Vincent “Vinny” Pearson 

A part-time police officer in Angle Inlet. In addition to his police work, Vinny also runs the gas station. Like John, he served in the Vietnam War but as a Marine. Vinny works with Sheriff Art Lux to find Kathy. Vinny is suspicious of John from the beginning, an opinion that never wavers.

Lt. William “Rusty” Calley 

The platoon leader in Charlie Company. Rusty orders his men to kill civilians, whom he calls “gooks,” at the village of Thuan Yen. His actions on the day of the massacre demonstrate brutality, and afterward, he shows no remorse or guilt. Rusty is the only soldier convicted for his role in the massacre.

Bethany Kee 

A colleague of Kathy’s at the University of Minnesota. Bethany works with Kathy at the university’s admissions office, and they swim together at the Y. She shares her thoughts in “Evidence.” Bethany can’t make up her mind about what happened to Kathy, alternating between thinking Kathy left John, drowned, or ran off with him.

Paul Meadlo 

A soldier in Charlie Company. Paul is an active participant in the massacre at Thuan Yen and one of the men who shoot the civilians in the ditch. By the end of the day of the massacre, he is crying. Paul loses his foot to a land mine. He provides testimony about the soldiers’ attitudes toward the Vietnamese and states that he considered all of them to be the enemy.

Ruth Rasmussen

Claude’s wife. Ruth is in her mid-fifties. She stays at home while Claude, John, and Pat are searching for Kathy on the boat. She prepares food and coffee for them. Ruth steadfastly believes in John’s innocence.

Eleanor Wade 

John’s mother and Paul’s wife. She describes John as secretive and brooding, but Eleanor believes that John is innocent in Kathy’s disappearance. By the end of the book, she expresses frustration with the interviewer for asking her questions that she can’t answer.

Myra Shaw 

An eighteen-year-old employee at the Mini-Mart. She provides testimony that John and Kathy were arguing on their last day together. Myra also sees John buy provisions for his boat trip, including a tourist map, which she believes indicates that he wasn’t planning to commit suicide.

PFC Paul Weatherby 

A private in Charlie Company. During the massacre at Thuan Yen, Weatherby shot many people, including two young girls. After the massacre is over, he is shot and killed by Sorcerer.

Next section John Wade/Sorcerer

Take a Study Break