Shipping News characters

Appears from the start

A large, awkward, and deeply insecure newspaper worker who has spent much of his life accepting neglect as his due. After several family catastrophes leave him responsible for two young daughters, he follows his aunt to the Newfoundland coast from which the Quoyle family came.

First appears in chapter 2

Quoyle's charismatic and restless wife, whose attention overwhelms him when they meet. She soon treats their marriage and children as constraints, pursuing other relationships while Quoyle continues hoping to recover her affection.

First appears in chapter 2

Quoyle and Petal's elder daughter, a watchful child with a strong imagination and a fear of a threatening white dog. The move to Newfoundland places her among relatives and neighbors able to give her more stability.

First appears in chapter 2

Quoyle and Petal's younger daughter. Still very small when the family breaks apart, she accompanies Bunny, Quoyle, and their great-aunt to Newfoundland.

Also known as The Aunt

First appears in chapter 3

Quoyle's forceful paternal aunt, an upholsterer who was born in Newfoundland and knows more about the Quoyle family history than she initially shares. She responds to crisis with practical action, taking Quoyle and his daughters back to the old family house near Killick-Claw.

First appears in chapter 7

The owner and editor of the Gammy Bird, Killick-Claw's local newspaper. Gruff, experienced, and closely tied to the fishing community, he hires Quoyle and assigns him the port's shipping column as well as reports on road accidents.

First appears in chapter 7

A veteran reporter at the Gammy Bird and a gifted teller of local history. He knows the coast, its boats, and the complicated reputations of its families, and he becomes a patient guide to Quoyle's new surroundings.

First appears in chapter 7

The Gammy Bird's aggressive managing editor, committed to sensational headlines and enthusiastic about industrial development. He dismisses Quoyle at first and regularly clashes with colleagues who see costs in the changes he welcomes.

First appears in chapter 7

The newspaper's foreign correspondent in the literal local sense: a well-traveled Englishman stranded far from the wider world he misses. He writes miscellaneous stories while planning an eventual departure by sailboat.

First appears in chapter 7

A young employee at the Gammy Bird who handles advertisements and office work. She has little affection for Killick-Claw and looks toward a more glamorous life elsewhere.

First appears in chapter 14

A widowed local woman raising her son, Herry. Self-contained and wary of being pitied, she meets Quoyle through the ordinary complications of travel on the Newfoundland roads and recognizes some of his burden as a single parent.

First appears in chapter 14

Wavey's young son, who has Down syndrome. His direct affection and need for acceptance bring the Quoyle and Prowse households into closer contact.

First appears in chapter 16

Jack Buggit's son, a skilled carpenter and boatbuilder rooted in the working life of Killick-Claw. He helps make the decaying Quoyle house usable and offers Quoyle practical friendship.

First appears in chapter 22

A reclusive relative of Quoyle's living near the family's old territory. His appearance brings the violent and superstitious parts of the Quoyle history into the present.