Character List for The Island

The Baxters

Heather Baxter—a fairly recently married 20-something who grew up in an artists’ commune on Goose Island, WA (the real Goose Island is uninhabited) and has recently been a massage therapist in Seattle

Dr. Thomas “Tom” Baxter—Heather’s fairly new 44-year-old husband, an orthopedic surgeon in Seattle, WA; father of Olivia and Owen

Olivia Baxter—Tom’s 14-year-old daughter

Owen Baxter—Tom’s 12-year-old son

Judith Baxter—Tom’s first wife (a biologist with a PhD); she was from a wealthy family and died in mysterious circumstances

The O’Neills

Ma O’Neill—the matriarch of Dutch Island, Australia

Terry O’Neill—Ma’s deceased husband

Matt Watson—married to Tara O’Neill, Ma’s second-youngest child; she has left the island (she doesn’t appear in the book)

Jacko—unclear whether he’s Matt’s brother or one of Ma’s sons

Ivan O’Neill—one of Ma’s sons; runs the small ferry that runs between Dutch Island and the mainland

Kate O’Neill—Ma’s youngest daughter

Brian O’Neill—another of Ma’s sons

Danny O’Neill—Ma’s youngest son; married to Ellen

Ellen O’Neill—the deaf girl on the bicycle whom the Baxters crash into and kill

Ned—runs food stand on the mainland and is an unexplained part of the family

Jamie—unexplained part of the family

Janey—unexplained part of the family

Lenny—the O’Neill’s blacksmith; unclear if he’s part of the family

Niamh—one of the children on Dutch Island

Freddie—one of the young boys on Dutch Island (his name is only mentioned once, but perhaps he’s “the boy” who seems to accompany Ivan in searching for the Baxters)

Gillian—a former nurse who tends to Tom Baxter’s wounds; unclear if she’s an O’Neill

Friends and Others

Carolyn Moore—Heather Baxter’s long-time friend from Goose Island

Ray—an Aboriginal man the Baxters encounter near Alice Springs; he trades a penknife he’s made for Heather Baxter’s earrings; the penknife becomes important

Chloe—Ray’s wife

Nikko—Ray’s granddaughter

Jenny Brook—conference representative assigned to Tom Baxter in Melbourne

Hans—a retired auto engineer from Leiden, Netherlands; he and Petra tag along with the Baxters to see wildlife on Dutch Island

Petra—a retired sociologist, wife of Hans

Rory—a retired Irish policeman who was once employed by the now-abandoned prison on Dutch Island; he lives there with permission of the O’Neills