The Dew Breaker Characters

Regulus is Romain’s father and a Tonton Macoute. He beat and abandoned Romain and Romain’s mother, and killed some of their family members. When the Duvalier regime ends, Regulus shoots himself in order to avoid being captured and tortured by those seeking revenge on government forces.

Freda’s father was a fisherman who was arrested and presumably tortured by government forces in Haiti. Following this incident, he sailed out to sea and never returned, in what could have been suicide.

Freda’s mother lives in Haiti. When Freda was young, she used to tell her that her dead father was in the sky eating coconut with God.

Rosalie is Papa’s superior, one of the few women with such a position of power within the government.

Flavio Salinas is the manager of the hotel in Florida where Papa and Ka stay.

Officer Bo tries to help Ka find Papa after he goes missing in Florida.

Gabrielle Fonteneau is a famous Haitian American actress who buys the sculpture Ka made of Papa. After learning that Ka doesn’t have the sculpture, she treats her coldly.

Mrs. Fonteneau is Gabrielle’s mother. When Ka and Papa go to have lunch with the Fonteneaus at their home in Florida, Mr. Fonteneau and Mrs. Fonteneau greet them warmly, sharing fond memories of Haiti.

Mr. Fonteneau is Gabrielle’s father. Like Mrs. Fonteneau, he is a Haitian immigrant to the U.S. who maintains a strong bond to his homeland.

Nadine’s father still lives in Haiti. He suffers from a number of health problems.

Nadine’s mother frequently writes to her daughter, begging her to resume their “routine” of regular phone conversations. However, she also fails to understand the forms of emotional support Nadine craves, thereby inadvertently pushing her further away.

Josette is a friendly young Haitian American nurse who also works in the Ear, Nose, and Throat hospital ward with Nadine. She continually tries to reach out to Nadine, but is always rebuffed.

Ms. Hinds is a patient Nadine cares for after a surgery that left her unable to talk. Ms. Hinds is immensely distressed by this, even though Nadine assures her that she can learn to talk again via an artificial larynx.

Old Zo is a man who lives in the same village as Estina.

Ti Famn (a nickname that means “little woman”) is Old Zo’s daughter. Dany takes a liking to her and requests to know her real name, which is Denise Auguste.

Aline’s boss Marjorie Voltaire is the editor of The Haitian American Weekly. Beatrice Saint Fort made her wedding dress.

Michel’s mother is a poor woman who Michel believes suffers deeply from her unreciprocated love for Monsieur Christophe, the father of her son. She dies from a stroke when Michel is a teenager.

Vaval is Michel’s cousin.

Rosie is Michel’s distant cousin. At 12, he is in love with her and wants to marry her when he is older.

Monsieur Christophe is a powerful man in Michel’s neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, who runs a water station. Although he doesn’t acknowledge it, he is Michel’s father.

Tobin is Monsieur Christophe’s (legitimate) son, and thus Michel’s half-brother.

Vesta is Romain’s aunt. Michel is in love with her.