Anna (The Narrator)
Anna is the 12-year-old narrator of the story. She lives in the Australian suburbs and spends almost all of the Christmas holidays swimming with her sister Louise in the above-ground pool that their Dad built…
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Mum
Anna and Louise’s Mum is the manipulative and domineering antagonist of the story. She’s a gorgeous, perfectly coiffed woman, but her beautiful outward appearance masks her meanness. Mum is obsessed with making her family…
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Louise
Louise is Anna’s sister; it’s unclear if she’s older or younger than Anna, but she’s implied to be around the same age. Most of the time, Anna and Louise ignore each other. The only…
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Dad
Anna and Louise’s dad is a supportive figure in their lives, though Anna implies that his and Mum’s marriage is an unhappy one. Dad spends his summer days tending to the pool in…
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Minor Characters
Chris
Chris is a neighbor boy who regularly joins Anna and Louise in their pool; he’s Leanne’s brother. He’s the only one in the group who doesn’t like being in the middle of the whirlpool, so the girls have to throw him in.
Leanne
Leanne is Chris’s brother and often swims in Anna and Louise’s pool.
