Edgar Sawtelle
The protagonist of the novel, Edgar's character is based on that of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. He is the only son of Trudy and Gar Sawtelle. Edgar is mute, and his parents devised sign language so that they could communicate. Edgar has a special way with the dogs on the farm and is soon given his own litter to raise. The litter remain loyal to him and he to them, and they accompany him as he flees the farm. He is willing to jeopardize his own safety to make sure they are safe and well.
Edgar knows in his gut that his uncle murdered his father and tries to put those feelings away, but he cannot. He is determined to prove that Claude is a murderer. He feels incredibly betrayed by his mother when she begins a relationship with Claude. Edgar is loyal to his father, and even when he is trapped in a burning barn wants to rescue all of the paperwork that pertains to the dogs because it is his father's life's work and his legacy.
Gar Sawtelle
Gar is Edgar's father and a second generation dog breeder. He is married to Trudy, a woman he loves very much. Gar is a character in the story both in life and in death. He appears twice in ghostly form, once to his son, whom he guides to the syringe that killed him, and one to his brother, whom he prevents from escaping the barn by filling it with excesses of thick black smoke. Gar is a good man who is the victim of a jealous and scheming brother.
Trudy Sawtelle
Trudy is Gar's wife, and Edgar's mother. Her loyalties are split, and fickle. She is loyal to her husband whilst they are married but does not remain loyal to his memory. She is quick to enter a relationship with Claude which distresses her son enormously. She has a tendency to side with Claude against Edgar, but when push comes to shove and Edgar is in danger of being in trouble for accidentally killing Dr Papineau, she protects him and enables him to leave. She eventually comes to realize that her son is speaking the truth and tries to help him prove Claude's guilt. She also tries to rescue him from the burning barn but is prevented from doing to by the vengeful Glen.
Claude Sawtelle
Jealous, envy-driven and bitter Claude covets almost everything that his brother has, including his good relationship with their parents, his skill as a dog breeder and his wife. He murders Gar by poisoning him and then spends the rest of the story trying to prevent this from being found out. He has barely any morals and kills easily, seemingly untroubled by what he has done. He is killed at the end of the novel, apparently by the ghostly form of his brother who fills the barn with smoke that prevents his escape.
Dr Papineau
An unwitting victim of the feud between Edgar and Claude, Dr Papineau is the family veterinarian who is in the wrong place at the wrong time; Edgar mistakes him for Claude, swings a hay fork at him and knocks him from the hay loft, killing him.
Glen Papineau
The son of Dr Papineau, Glen is a police officer who believes everything that Claude tells him about the circumstances surrounding his father's death, and who wants to bring Edgar in for questioning regarding the crime. He is happy to let Edgar burn to death in the barn and physically prevents Trudy from going to help him.
Henry Lamb
Henry is a decent man, and a generous one, considering that Edgar has just burgled his home and stolen his food. He offers help, room and sustenance and also offers to drive Edgar and the dogs to Canada. He keeps two of the dogs with him when Edgar returns home.
