The Round House characters

Appears from the start

A thirteen-year-old Ojibwe boy living with his parents on a North Dakota reservation in 1988. Curious, loyal, and impatient with adult secrecy, he begins searching for answers after a violent crime leaves his mother traumatized and his family altered.

Appears from the start

Joe's mother, who works in tribal enrollment. After returning home badly injured and terrified, she withdraws into silence and initially cannot tell her husband and son where the attack occurred or who was responsible.

Appears from the start

Joe's father and a tribal judge. He approaches his wife's case with care and legal experience, but overlapping tribal, state, and federal jurisdictions limit what any court can do. His files and explanations teach Joe both the purpose and the failures of the law.

First appears in chapter 2

Joe's closest friend, a daring and generous boy who joins his investigation. Cappy's confidence makes him the natural leader of their group, and his loyalty to Joe is stronger than his regard for rules or danger.

First appears in chapter 2

One of Joe's friends and a member of the group that explores the reservation looking for information about Geraldine's attack. He shares the boys' restless summer but is more cautious than Cappy.

First appears in chapter 2

One of Joe's friends, who accompanies Joe, Cappy, and Zack as their ordinary adventures become entangled with the investigation into the crime against Geraldine.

First appears in chapter 2

Joe's elderly grandfather, a storyteller whose memories connect the family to Ojibwe history, traditional teachings, and the round house. His stories offer forms of knowledge that official records cannot supply.

First appears in chapter 3

Joe's aunt, a former dancer who is living with his uncle Whitey. Glamorous and perceptive, she treats Joe with an unsettling mixture of teasing, affection, and adult candor.

First appears in chapter 3

Joe's uncle, who runs a local gas station and lives with Sonja. He is part of the extended family and community surrounding Joe as the Coutts household struggles after Geraldine's attack.

First appears in chapter 4

A local priest and former serviceman whose imposing presence, private struggles, and knowledge of the community make him both fascinating and intimidating to Joe and his friends.

First appears in chapter 8

A white man with ties to the reservation whose name emerges as Joe searches for the person who attacked Geraldine. Questions of identity, location, and legal jurisdiction surround any attempt to hold him accountable.

First appears in chapter 8

Linden Lark's twin sister, who was adopted into an Ojibwe family and firmly rejects her brother. Her history and testimony help Joe understand both Linden's character and the difficulty of proving what he has done.

First appears in chapter 8

A young Ojibwe woman whose disappearance is linked to the mystery Joe is trying to solve. Her work and her child connect Geraldine's knowledge as an enrollment specialist to the attack at the round house.