Stillhouse Lake

Mel is Gwen’s ex-husband, a serial killer, and the antagonist of the novel. He has lived a double life for years, as an apparently loving father and husband and a sadistic serial killer of women. Although Mel is incarcerated and on “death row” throughout most of the book, his influence on Gwen and the plot remains pervasive. A fluent liar, manipulative and charismatic, he is able to pull strings and orchestrates a series of actions against Gwen, using others in the community, including a police officer, the hacker Gwen turns to, and someone inside the prison itself. Mel’s continued influence and action in the novel demonstrate the ways in which society and justice often fail to protect women from misogynistic hatred and violence, even after perpetrators are apprehended.

Mel’s character demonstrates toxic masculinity taken to its terrifying extreme: Mel views women literally as “objects” and feels no remorse for how he treats his victims, claiming that most people’s (women’s) lives are pointless anyway, so it’s not immoral to kill them or use them as tools. Mel uses Gwen in a different way, as part of his disguise as a normal member of society. He feels no remorse about this either because women are tools and not humans to him. His immediate switch from using Gwen as cover to seeking to punish and pursue her once he is apprehended shows that his relationship with her was a sham. Gwen reflects multiple times that Mel is a “disease” or “illness” that spreads to other people through his manipulation. In this way, Caine shows him as a personification of this disease (misogyny) that pervades society.

Lanny (short for Atlanta), formerly Lily, is Gwen’s daughter. She is 14 during the main part of the novel. She is smart, loyal, resourceful and also defiant at times. As the older sibling, Lanny remembers and understands more about what the family calls “The Event” (Mel’s crimes) and the related threats that continue to endanger the family. Although Gwen attempts to shelter the children from many of the details of their father’s crimes, Lanny seems to have learned most information on her own already, mostly online, and Gwen reluctantly starts sharing more of the truth with her. Lanny is increasingly protective of her younger brother, Connor, as she continues to grasp the gravity of their situation.

Although Lanny is a child, her character is shown maturing quickly in response to the adult world she’s been exposed to and the imperative she feels to protect her younger brother. Older siblings aren’t the same as parents, but they often help with the “basic” parental role of protecting younger children from predators. In this way, Lanny follows in her mother’s footsteps as a proto-maternal female figure.

Connor, formerly Brady, is Gwen’s son. He is 11 during the novel’s main plot. Connor is smart and responsible for his age, like his older sister. He is also introverted and “nerdy,” sometimes getting bullied at school, unlike his older sister, who seems to “win” the fights she gets into. At Stillhouse Lake, Connor finally makes friends who play games with him, which gives Gwen another reason to stay there. Although Gwen is alert to many dangers, one of the things she neglects to notice are Connor’s school bullies. These bullies are the sons of Officer Graham, who commits murders and kidnaps Connor and Lanny: The bullying prefigures the kidnap and shows the drama playing out across the generations. Connor’s school bullies help with the kidnapping, indicating that bullying is not a harmless part of growing up but a sign of a bad character, cruelty, and criminal impulses. This inter-generational conflict between the families also sets up a juxtaposition between the Proctor family, whose children are being raised well despite their criminal father, and the Grahams, whose children are like their father: unkind, corrupt, selfish, and immoral.

Like Gwen, Connor wants to have a normal life and has a deep longing for home and security. Connor reflects the softer side of Gwen: As a child, he is not yet as cynical as his mother has become, or even his sister.

Absalom is the online name of a computer hacker whom Gwen has never met in real life. She uses him to create multiple new identities for her and the children and to research potential new neighborhoods. Absalom performed a bait-and-switch routine online in order to build a relationship with her: He harassed her online and then sold his services as protection from harassment. Unbeknownst to Gwen, Absalom is acting as a puppet of Mel and is gathering information for him, controlling Gwen on his behalf. Absalom’s character is the personification of the anonymous internet troll and the dangers of the online world: scammers, identity theft, false information, and harassment. The name “Absalom” alludes to a biblical figure of the same, a son of King David, who is described as charming, powerful, and the most beautiful man in the kingdom. The fact that Absalom chooses this online pseudonym for himself is expressive of his superiority complex and the persona that he wishes to portray.

Javier, or Javi, is a member of the Stillhouse Lake/Norton community where Gwen seeks refuge with her family. Javier is one of the first people that Gwen gets to know and starts to open up to. Javier helps Gwen to gain the survival skills she needs: He works at the firing range where Gwen earns her concealed-carry permit and where she also goes to practice shooting or relieve stress. Because Javier is responsible and good at diffusing conflict and danger, and because he used to be in the military and is now a reserve deputy for the local police, Gwen trusts Javi slightly more than most new people.

Javi is a foil for Officer Graham: The two share many traditionally masculine traits and habits (the outdoors lifestyle, firearms, military, and police background), but Javi is a decent man whereas Graham is cruel, corrupt, and a misogynist. Javi is standoffish, and this makes Gwen wary of him, but this is his response to Gwen’s strange behavior and secrecy. Gwen’s lack of trust means that she does not always see whom she can accept support from.

Lancel (or Lance) Graham is a police officer who lives near Gwen at Stillhouse Lake. He has two sons, Kyle and Lee, who attend school with Connor and Lanny. At first, Lance seems friendly, responsible, and even kind, if somewhat suspicious of newcomers to the community. He claims that managing the opioid epidemic takes up most of his time. His demeanor and career hide his true self: He is a corrupt officer, working for Mel, and will be revealed as a kidnapper and copycat murderer. In addition to wearing the disguise of a police officer, Graham wears the same disguise Mel did: that of a good father. Graham is nice to Gwen’s children on the surface and seems to be kind to his own children, which makes Gwen trust him. However, in reality, Graham is willing not only to kidnap Gwen’s children but to force his own children to become kidnappers and potential murderers. Similar to Mel, Graham views women and children as objects or tools; he is deeply selfish and displays narcissistic tendencies.

In the past, Gwen has tended to trust members of law enforcement and the military, following the societal assumption that they are there to help members of society. Her attitude changes, however, as she learns that law enforcement treat her differently once they find out who she was married to. She becomes used to being targeted by law enforcement as a suspect more often than having law enforcement actually help her out or protect her. Gwen’s relationship with Graham is a gradual process of disillusionment and mirrors the societal disillusionment of the public in relation to law enforcement in the United States.

Sam Cade is a neighbor of Gwen’s at Stillhouse Lake. Sam becomes her romantic interest in the novel. Like many of the other characters, there are several layers of complexity to Sam, which present a dilemma as to whether Gwen can trust him. Sam seems shy and reluctant to get close to people, but he’s also responsible, capable, and smart. He doesn’t have a criminal record and is an armed-forces veteran, which makes Gwen trust him more. As the genuine nature of his emotions and his kindness toward her children become apparent, Gwen trusts Sam enough to tell him the truth about her past.

Even Sam is not who he seems. He moved to Stillhouse Lake to pursue Gwen. His sister was one of Mel’s victims, and Sam believed that Gwen was an accomplice. When Gwen confides in him, he learns the truth and changes his opinion about Gwen and her involvement. This demonstrates Sam’s character flexing to accommodate what he learns about Gwen and her family, making him a good example opposite the post-truth online public. The episode also shows Gwen’s trust in him being rewarded. Together, they are able to see themselves as victims of the same process, and this helps them form a stronger alliance.

Detective Prester is the investigator of the copycat murder. When Prester learns Gwen’s former name and who her ex-husband is, he treats her completely differently and she becomes one of the main suspects in his latest murder investigation. Gwen reflects that she does not get the same benefits from the justice system because it sees her as tainted by association with Mel, not as an indirect victim of his crimes. In many ways, Prester’s character personifies the faceless nature of complacent law enforcement, and how it can lack fairness when applied without thought. He also represents the power that (male) law enforcement officers—even mediocre ones—have over individuals and how their personal assumptions and prejudices are enacted socially. Prester’s refusal to listen to Gwen and adherence to protocol wastes time and, ultimately, puts Lanny and Connor at risk.