Time Out of Joint characters

Appears from the start

A quiet man who lives with his sister's family in an apparently ordinary American suburb of 1959. He earns money by repeatedly winning a newspaper puzzle called Where Will the Little Green Man Be Next? His talent for predicting the correct square is exceptional, but the strain of maintaining it and a series of small fractures in everyday reality make him question the world around him.

Appears from the start

Ragle's brother-in-law, a practical grocery-store employee concerned with supporting his household. He initially treats Ragle's contest work and suspicions with amused skepticism, but he is willing to examine physical evidence when ordinary explanations stop fitting.

Appears from the start

Ragle's sister and Vic's wife, who shares the suburban home in which Ragle works on his contest entries. She values domestic stability and sees her brother's growing unease from close range.

Appears from the start

Vic and Margo's young son and Ragle's nephew. His curiosity about discarded equipment and odd objects sometimes uncovers clues that the adults would overlook or dismiss.

First appears in chapter 2

A neighbor with whom Ragle flirts, creating tension within the small circle of suburban households. Her familiar presence is part of the apparently normal life surrounding him.

First appears in chapter 2

Junie's husband and a neighbor of the Nielsen family. Friendly but observant, he takes a noticeable interest in Ragle's routines and in any suggestion that Ragle might leave town.

First appears in chapter 8

A local woman involved in civil-defense activities whom Ragle meets as his doubts about the town increase. Her interest in military preparedness gives him another view of the supposedly peaceful community.

First appears in chapter 19

The man assigned to take over the predictive work that Ragle has been performing. Ragle learns of him only after reaching the institutions hidden beyond the suburban setting.