Tom Collins
The ostensible narrator of the book is Tom Collins. The subtitle is “Being Certain Extracts from the Diary of Tom Colins.” Of course, in American, Tom Collins is a familiar name in bars and cocktail parties. Tom Collins in this case serves two purposes. One, it is the pen name of the actual author. Two, it is Aussie slang for a yarn, a tall tale, an outrageous story.
Rory O’Halloran
Like many of the characters, Catholic Rory who has a trouble marriage with his Protestant wife is also known by another name. His nickname is Dan O’Connell, but that isn’t even the weirdest part of his story. (After all, who has a nickname like Dan O’Connell?) Rory/Dan lives with his wife in the same house, but separately from her as the result of a border divide in the form of a curtained doorway.
Nosey Alf
Nosey Alf is another character of multiple identities. This particular example is even stranger than Tom Collins/Joseph Furphy and Rory/Dan. It would be a major spoiler to reveal the other identity of Nosey Alf and one of the joys of reading the novel is figuring out the mystery of this character. Suffice to say that solving the mystery is all by itself worth the time spent reading this novel. In a book overflowing with interesting little yarns, the story of Nosey Alf rises to the top as the cream of the crop.
Maud Beaudesart
Maud Beaudesart is the thrice-widowed woman who has set her cap for the next addition to her list of husbands upon the figure of Tom Collins. The more farcical and outrageous elements of comedy within the narrative focus upon Tom’s machinations to avoid falling victim to Maud’s intensive pursuit in the name of matrimony.
