Iris Chase Griffen
The main protagonist and narrator of the novel. She is the eldest child in the Chase family, born in June of 1916, while her father was away fighting in the First World War. She describes herself as appearing to be her father’s child, stating that she looked more like him, inheriting “his scowl, his dogged skepticism” as well as his hard nature. Like her younger sister, she is also blonde She constantly feels pressure and the need to look out for her younger sister Laura.
Laura Chase
Younger sister to Iris, born in the autumn of 1919. She is described as having her mother’s piousness and “high, pure forehead”, and is extremely sensitive and impressionable. As an adult, she has long, pale blonde hair, a straight nose, heart-shaped face, and large eyes. She is described as being an uneasy child, but with a resistance to physical pain, so that she only ever cried over emotional distress, rather than physical. She was especially upset seeing the many crippled veterans they grew up surrounded by in the years after WWI. As a teenager, she falls in love with Alex Thomas and her brother-in-law, Richard, uses this to manipulate her. She is repeatedly sexually assaulted by Richard and ends up pregnant and forced to have an abortion. For awhile, Richard has her institutionalized, convincing Iris it is for the best before Iris realizes the truth of the matter. When Laura finds out Alex has died in WWII and that he and Iris had actually been in love, she commits suicide by driving her car off a bridge. She is known to the world as a novelist, despite the fact that it is Iris who actually wrote her famous book.
Norval Chase
The father of Iris and Laura. A captain in WWI, he returns from the war injured and emotionally damaged. He becomes distant from his wife, Liliana, as well as his daughters and descends into a deep depression and alcoholism. He also comes back from the war an atheist, which is an added strain on his marriage. He inherits the family business Chase Industries, as both his brothers, Percy and Eddie, died in WWI, shortly after Iris’s birth. After having done so well during the war, Chase Industries begins to fall into decline throughout the 1920s under Norval’s leadership. Eventually, he tries to save the business by forcing Iris to marry the wealthy Richard Griffen, owner of competing factories and businesses. His years of alcoholism lead him to die fairly young, shortly after Iris's wedding.
Liliana Chase
The mother of Iris and Laura, and wife of Norval Chase. Her mother died when she was only 9 and her father was the senior lawyer for Chase Industries, which is how she met Norval. She is described as having taken her Methodist religion seriously and “believed you should help those less fortunate than yourself”. She was a schoolteacher for the poor before her marriage. Her and Norval marry in July 1914 when she is only 18, and though they are happy at first, the war years change them both and their marriage suffers. During the war years, after her father-in-law has a stroke and while her husband is away, she unofficially takes over the running of the family factories. She suffers a miscarriage when Iris and Laura are both still young and subsequently dies. Before she dies, she tries to impart to Iris that she should always look out for and protect her younger sister.
Benjamin Chase
The grandfather of Laura and Iris, and father of Norval. He founds the Chase family business “Chase Industries” and builds a variety of factories, including their successful button factory. The factory does very well during the war years but he also loses two of his sons, Percy and Eddie in the war. He takes these deaths very hard, having a stroke shortly after hearing about them and unofficially ceding control of the businesses to Liliana. He hands the business over to Norval upon his return from the war. He is a proud, successful businessman, creating the family’s wealth, and even privately publishing a book about the family business.
Adelia Montfort Chase
The grandmother of Laura and Iris, and wife of Benjamin Chase. She is described as being “as smooth as silk and as cool as a cucumber, but with a will like a bone saw”. She comes from a once-prominent and respected Montreal family and was married off to Benjamin for his wealth. She brings “old money” refinery to his “new money”. She dies before Norval’s marriage to Liliana and the subsequent births of her granddaughters Iris and Laura. Although they never meet their grandmother, she provides an example to them of culture and refinement.
Richard Griffen
Wealthy industrialist and owner of Royal Classic Knitwear, he is a competitor to Chase Industries and eventually marries Iris in a marriage arranged by Norval. He is a cold, selfish and greedy man who shuts down Chase Industries after marrying Iris, breaking her father’s heart. He sexually abuses his sister-in-law Laura and forces her to have an abortion and be institutionalized. Eventually he is exposed by Iris and ends up in ruins, killing himself because he cannot deal with the backlash.
Winifred Griffen Priot
Also goes by the name “Freddie”. Sister of Richard and sister-in-law of Iris. She eventually manipulates the relationship between Iris and her daughter Aimee, taking custody of Aimee and raising her away from Iris. She is described as being thin, stylish and new-money. She is a scheming, greedy woman. Her husband, Mr. Prior, is never seen or mentioned in detail and Iris often wonders what happened to him. She is close to her brother, Richard and manipulative and cruel toward Iris and Laura. She dies, aged 92 in her home, having isolated Iris’ remaining family from her.
Alex Thomas
A newspaper reporter who meets and befriends Iris and Laura at a picnic when they are teenagers and is described as a "darkish man" with indeterminate style. His background is also indeterminate, as he is an orphan raised by a Presbyterian minister. Money is not important to him, as it is to most people in Iris' life. He eventually becomes Iris’ lover after she is married to Richard, although Laura is also in love with him from afar and thinks they will be together. He fathers a child with Iris shortly before dying in WWII. This child, Aimee, is thought to be Richard’s child.
Reenie Hincks
Reenie is the Chase family’s housekeeper, but also takes on the upbringing of Iris and Laura after the death of their mother. She comes to the Chase home, Avilion, full-time at around age 17, beginning as a nursemaid for Iris. She is never too eager to talk about her own life to the girls, but tells them many stories about their own family. She is a strong and kind influence in the girls’ lives. She is deeply protective of the family, including Norval, even though she complains about him. Her husband, Ron, dies in WWII. Her daughter Myra Hincks eventually becomes Iris’s caregiver when she is older.
Aimee Griffen
The daughter of Iris and Richard, although her father is later revealed to be Alex Thomas. She is raised by her aunt Winifred after her father's death, never having seen witnessed the cruel way he treated Iris and her sister. Later on, from reading her aunt Laura’s book, she believes that Laura and Alex Thomas were her real parents, and clings to this fantasy. Iris and Aimee have a very contentious relationship due to all the emotional hardships that happen in their family. Aimee has a daughter, Sabrina, by herself and refuses Iris’ help. She becomes an addict and dies when Sabrina is very young. Winifred immediately takes on custody of Sabrina, again ousting Iris.
The Blind Assassin
The title of the book within the novel, written by Iris and published as Laura's book. It is a science fiction novel and set on the planet of Zycron. The plot features a love story between the characters of Man, a writer who represents Alex, and Woman, a wealthy woman who represents Iris.
