Mackenzie Allen Phillips
The protagonist of the novel, Mack is a nondescript everyman who has long struggled to reconcile his faith in God with the daily reality before him. As a child, Mack’s father, a violent alcoholic…
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Papa/Elousia
Papa is one facet of the three-part God depicted in the novel (the others being Jesus and Sarayu). Papa also calls herself “Elousia,” which Jesus explains means “the Creator God. She fills the role…
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Sarayu
Sarayu fulfils the role of the “Holy Spirit” in the three-part version of God seen in the novel (the other parts being Jesus and Papa). Jesus explains to Mack that her name means “a…
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Jesus
Jesus is “the son” in the tri-part God depicted in the novel (the other parts being Papa and Sarayu). In some ways, he most closely aligns with Mack’s preconceived image: he is a…
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Missy
Missy, Nan and Mack’s youngest child, is a lively six-year-old girl who enjoys asking questions and spending time with her family. She is fascinated by stories of sacrifice like those of Jesus and that…
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Nan Phillips
Nan, Mack’s wife, is an oncology nurse who uses her strong sense of faith to help patients facing terminal illness. She has a uniquely personal relationship with God, calling him by the familiar name…
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Sophia
Sophia, the personification of God’s wisdom, is a beautiful, commanding woman who forces Mack to realize that in judging other people, his is actually, by extension, judging God for allowing evil to exist in the…
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Willie
Willie is an old friend of Mack’s. He serves as a narrator for the prologue and epilogue of the book, and is possibly a stand in for the novel’s real author, William Paul Young…
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Mack’s Father
A violent alcoholic who abused Mack and other members of his family. Before running away from the family farm, Mack fills all the alcohol bottles he can find with poison. When Sarayu gives Mack the…
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Minor Characters
Kate
Kate is Mack and Nan’s older daughter. At the opening of the novel, Kate is struggling and withdrawn. Because she took her sister’s death especially hard, she has been lashing out and retreating from her parents.
Josh
Josh is Nan and Mack’s youngest son. Along with Kate, he was on the camping trip when Missy was kidnapped. He has weathered her death more successfully because of the relationships he has formed in the wake of her death.
The Ducettes
A family with two young daughters about Josh and Kate’s ages. They befriend Mack and his family during the camping trip and help in the search for Missy.
The Madisons
A Canadian couple who befriend Mack and his family during the camping trip.
Tommy Dalton
A police officer who leads the search for Missy after she is kidnapped.
Sam
An FBI officer who connects the evidence surrounding Missy’s death to a serial killer known as “The Little Ladykiller.”
