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Susie Salmon
The novel’s narrator and protagonist. Brutally murdered in the first chapter, 14-year-old Susie mourns the loss of her earthly life as she adapts to her new heavenly home, watches her family struggle with the horror and mystery of her death, and tries to help them heal from their grief. Although she cannot age, she matures over the novel, aided by her former classmate Ruth and her sister Lindsey.
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Lindsey Salmon
Susie’s younger sister. Intelligent and brave, Lindsey is stoic in the face of the family’s tragedy and intrepid in her attempt to gather evidence against Harvey. Her youthful romance with Samuel Heckler sustains her through the loss of her sister, offering her the chance to be seen as herself. The two are married at the novel’s end and have a daughter named Abigail Suzanne.
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George Harvey
Susie’s murderer and the novel’s antagonist. A reclusive and damaged man in his mid-30s, Harvey preys on women and girls, inventing new ways to kill each of his victims. To satisfy his violent urges between murders, he slaughters neighborhood animals.
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Jack Salmon
Susie’s father. A committed father and loving husband, Jack blames himself for not protecting his daughter. He is the first to suspect his neighbor George Harvey, an intuition that causes him to surveille Harvey and alienate the police. Initially strong and confident, he becomes frail and consumed with guilt as the novel progresses.
Abigail Salmon
Susie’s mother. Beautiful and spirited, Abigail embraces the role of mother at the start of the novel. However, the death of her daughter damages her deeply, leading her to have an affair and abandon her family. She spends almost a decade in California living alone. Even though she fled, she never stops loving her husband and family. Her task is learning how to be in the family while not losing herself to it.
Buckley Salmon
Susie’s four-year-old brother, the youngest child in the family. Buckley cannot understand where Susie has gone and asks questions that upset everyone. Susie appears to him on occasion because he is so young. The death of his sister and his mother’s departure wound him deeply, but the Heckler brothers, Hal and Samuel, help him to heal, even bringing him drums at the end of the novel.
Ray Singh
A handsome young man who has a crush on Susie. Smart and sophisticated, Ray kisses Susie shortly before she dies and writes her a love note, which she does not read while alive. He and Ruth become friends and experiment sexually, although he continues to have feelings for Susie.
Ruth Connors
The smartest girl in Susie’s class, a gifted artist, and a person who can sense the dead. Unusual and intense, Ruth and Susie develop a connection at the time of her death, which allows Susie later to occupy Ruth’s body briefly. Ruth dedicates her life to recording places where women and girls are murdered.
Grandma Lynn
Abigail’s mother and Susie’s grandmother. Hard-drinking and flamboyant, Lynn has a poor relationship with her daughter and a complicated one with her granddaughters. She comes to live with the Salmons after Abigail leaves the family for California. Although Susie explains that Grandma Lynn is always wrong, it is largely her efforts that keep the family afloat in the wake of their tragedy.
Len Fenerman
The detective assigned to Susie’s case and Abigail’s lover. An able detective, Len is nonetheless unable to solve Susie’s case, in part because he is determined to follow the regulations. He carries pictures of dead women, including his wife (who committed suicide), and keenly feels his failure in his inability to resolve the mystery of their deaths. The brief affair he has with Abigail prevents him from interviewing Harvey before the murderer flees Norristown.
Samuel Heckler
Lindsey’s high school boyfriend and, later, her husband. Kind and loving from a young age, Samuel often smooths tensions in the Salmon family. His devotion to fixing an old but damaged house is indicative of his nurturing qualities.
Franny
Susie’s intake counselor in heaven and a social worker on Earth. A woman in her mid-40s, Franny is a maternal figure for Susie and Holly, providing them with important guidance to their new reality. She was murdered by a man looking for his wife.
Ruana Singh
Ray’s mother. Elegant, distant, beautiful, and ignored by her academic husband, Ruana both looks and feels out of place in the Pennsylvania suburb where the novel is set.
Hal Heckler
Sam’s older brother. Hal runs a motorcycle shop and, with Samuel, becomes increasingly important to the Salmon family. He often drives Lindsey places and is close to Buckley as he grows older.
Clarissa
Susie’s closest friend. Abigail does not fully approve of Clarissa, but Susie admires how daring she can be.
Brian Nelson
Clarissa’s boyfriend.
Holly
Susie’s roommate in heaven.
Holiday
The Salmon family dog, who eventually joins Susie in heaven.
Nate
Buckley’s childhood friend.
