Kathy H.Narrator and carer
The reflective narrator, former Hailsham student and current carer, who struggles with the confusing rules surrounding sex and donations, navigates complex relationships with Tommy and Ruth, and later looks through porn magazines for a specific reason.
KathIKathy
RuthKathy's friend and Hailsham student
A complex friend who subtly manipulates Kathy to stay away from Tommy, mocks Tommy's art theory, but eventually provides Kathy and Tommy with Madame's correct address.
Miss GeraldineHailsham guardian
A kind and beloved guardian who praises Tommy's elephant painting and becomes the subject of Ruth's protective 'secret guard' due to a rumored kidnapping plot.
MadameExternal visitor to Hailsham
The woman who collected the students' art for her 'gallery.' She was an activist trying to prove the students had souls, though she harbors a deep, visceral fear of them and is deeply moved by their tragic fate.
Marie-Claude
Miss EmilyHailsham guardian or teacher
Now wheelchair-bound, she reveals the harsh truth about the purpose of Hailsham and the gallery, explaining that they were activists fighting for better conditions for clones but could never change their ultimate fate.
Arthur H.Hailsham student
One of Tommy's biggest tormentors who bullies him but eventually plays football with him.
MidgeHailsham student
A student who innocently quizzes Ruth about where she got her new pencil case.
Miss EileenHailsham guardian
An unpopular guardian suspected by the secret guard of being behind the plot to kidnap Miss Geraldine.
Donor from DorsetDonor patient
A donor cared for by Kathy who is close to completion and desperately wants to hear descriptions of Hailsham to blur them with his own memories.
TommyFormer Hailsham student and Donor
A donor facing his fourth donation who seeks a deferral based on his love for Kathy and his art. After learning the truth, he distances himself from Kathy, choosing to face his completion without her as his carer.
Sweet Boysweety gums
Miss LucyFormer Hailsham Guardian
A guardian who has an odd talk with Tommy and later makes an uncomfortable outburst to students at the pavilion about them being 'told and not told' regarding their futures.
Nurse TrishaNurse
The nurse at Hailsham who treats Tommy's gashed elbow.
Crow Face
Cynthia E.Hailsham student
A perceptive student who suggests to Kathy that she is the 'natural successor' to date Tommy after he splits from Ruth.
Cynthia
HannahHailsham student
A student who points out a lonely Tommy to Kathy, implicitly endorsing the 'natural successor' rumor.
HarryHailsham student
A student Kathy once planned to have sex with; years later, she sees him as a weak donor at a recovery center in Wiltshire.
KeffersCaretaker at the Cottages
The grumpy, allegedly religious caretaker of the Cottages who actively searches for and disposes of pornographic magazines.
ChrissieVeteran student at the Cottages
A tall 'veteran' student at the Cottages who is obsessed with the idea of deferrals for Hailsham students and encourages Ruth to find her 'possible' in Norfolk.
RodneyVeteran student at the Cottages
Chrissie's boyfriend and a veteran student who claims to have spotted Ruth's 'possible' in a Norfolk office and drives the group there.
Rod
Silver-haired ladyArt gallery attendant
A woman working at a Norfolk art gallery who mistakenly assumes the students are art students and discusses the paintings with them.
LauraCarer
A former Hailsham student working as a carer who struggles with the emotional toll of the job and shares a moment of shared grief with Kathy over the closure of Hailsham.
GeorgeAssistant/Nurse
A large man in a nursing uniform who assists Miss Emily with her crutches and wheelchair.