The Windup Girl characters

Appears from the start

An American calorie-company representative in Bangkok, officially running a factory that develops compact energy-storage springs. His real purpose is to locate Thailand's protected seedbank and the genetic specialists who keep its crops beyond the control of foreign agricultural corporations. Curious, ambitious, and accustomed to concealing commercial motives, he becomes fascinated by both a newly seen fruit and the engineered woman Emiko.

First appears in chapter 2

A formerly wealthy Malaysian Chinese shipping magnate who fled ethnic massacres and now lives in Bangkok as a despised refugee. He manages Anderson's spring factory while secretly looking for a design, contact, or cache of money that can restore his independence. Formal and resourceful, he measures every alliance by whether it can protect him from another sudden reversal of fortune.

First appears in chapter 3

A Japanese New Person genetically designed for obedience, beauty, and controlled movement. Abandoned in Bangkok by her former owner, she survives as an exploited performer in Raleigh's club, where the city's heat makes her characteristic stuttering motion especially painful. She longs for escape and for a place where manufactured people can live without being treated as property or illegal organisms.

Also known as The Tiger of Bangkok

First appears in chapter 5

A celebrated captain in Thailand's Environment Ministry, commanding the white-shirted officers who police biological contamination, imports, and carbon use. Charismatic and personally brave, he treats the ministry's mission as patriotic service and resists the bribery surrounding Bangkok's trade in forbidden goods.

First appears in chapter 5

Jaidee's capable lieutenant in the Environment Ministry. Less flamboyant than her commander, she understands the political danger created by his raids and tries to keep the white shirts effective while powerful officials contest their authority.

First appears in chapter 8

The head of the Trade Ministry and chief advocate for opening Thailand further to foreign commerce. He regards the Environment Ministry's seizures and quarantines as obstacles to national recovery and has the influence to turn Jaidee's enforcement campaign into a struggle between branches of government.

First appears in chapter 6

The senior general who directs the Environment Ministry. He oversees the system protecting Thailand from invasive pests and engineered diseases and serves as the institutional power behind Jaidee and the white shirts.

First appears in chapter 3

The foreign proprietor of the club where Emiko is displayed and abused for paying customers. He understands Bangkok's expatriate networks and illegal economy, offering information and introductions while profiting from people who have few protections.

First appears in chapter 2

A young worker at Anderson's spring factory who assists Hock Seng. Her position is precarious, but her reliability gives the refugee manager a rare personal attachment within an enterprise he otherwise views mainly as a possible route back to wealth.

Appears from the start

The engineer responsible for the spring factory's experimental energy system. He works with Anderson on an ambitious design intended to store labor efficiently enough to compete in a world where petroleum is scarce.

First appears in chapter 12

A foreign businessman in Bangkok who has access to commercial and political intermediaries. Anderson and Hock Seng each see him as a possible channel for deals that cannot be conducted openly.

First appears in chapter 9

Jaidee's wife and the mother of his children. She shares the risks created by his uncompromising public campaign even though she has no part in directing it.

Also known as The Somdet Chaopraya

First appears in chapter 34

The powerful protector of Thailand's young monarch and a central authority above the rival ministries. His presence holds together a political system strained by factional rivalry, foreign pressure, and fear of biological attack.

First appears in chapter 45

A brilliant, renegade genetic engineer living under Thai protection. His ability to alter crops and organisms has helped preserve the kingdom's biological independence, making him the person Anderson's employers most want to find.