| Hans Christian |
Andersen | Danish author |
| Marlon |
Brando | American actor |
| Charlie |
Chaplin | English comic actor and filmmaker |
| Alicia |
Clark | Melanie's friend |
| Amanda |
Davies | Emily's only playmate |
| Ben |
Davies | One of Lilith's acquaintances |
| Stuart |
Davies | Recent high school graduate |
| Bette |
Davis | American actress |
| Angela |
Evans | One of Justine's daughters |
| Dafydd |
Evans | Mr. Evans's grandfather; founding father of Williamsburg |
| Eleanor |
Evans | Thomas Evans's wife |
| Emily Rose |
Evans | Six-year-old girl who disappears from the family lake house |
| Justine |
Evans | Lucy's grandniece who inherits the house sixty years later |
| Lilith |
Evans | Rebellious older sister of Lucy and Emily |
| Lucy |
Evans | Quiet, watchful middle sister. Aka: Lulu |
| Melanie Annabel |
Evans | One of Justine's daughters |
| Thomas |
Evans | Justine's great-grandfather |
| William |
Evans | One of Justine's ancestors |
| Dr. |
Fishbaum | Justine's employer |
| Mrs. |
Fitz | Angela's teacher in San Diego |
| Ben |
Gable | Master of ceremonies |
| Patrick |
Gallagher | Justine's manipulative boyfriend |
| Greta |
Garbo | Swedish-American actress |
| Elizabeth |
George | American writer |
| Wayne |
Gretzky | Canadian former ice hockey player |
| Bill |
Haley | American musician |
| Barbara |
Havers | Fictional detective sergeant |
| Georg Wilhelm Friedrich |
Hegel | German philosopher |
| Audrey |
Hepburn | British actress |
| Adolf |
Hitler | Austrian-born German dictator |
| Buddy |
Holly | American singer-songwriter and musician |
| David |
Hume | Scottish philosopher, historian, and economist |
| Bobby |
Jones | One of Mr. Jones's sons |
| Brian |
Jones | Eddie Jones's brother |
| Davy |
Jones | One of Mr. Jones's sons |
| Eddie |
Jones | Evans family acquaintance |
| Eddie |
Jones | American former basketball shooting guard |
| Harry |
Jones | One of Lilith's acquaintances |
| Mickey |
Jones | One of Lilith's acquaintances |
| Mr. |
Jones | Evans family acquaintance; also a general store owner |
| Roberta |
Jones | Substitute teacher |
| Immanuel |
Kant | German philosopher |
| Carole |
King | American singer-songwriter |
| Eartha |
Kitt | American singer |
| Michelle |
Kwan | Figure skater and former U.S. Ambassador to Belize |
| Dr. |
Lewis | Jeannette Lewis's father |
| Jeannette |
Lewis | Charlie Lloyd's acquaintance; also one of Lilith's friends |
| Mrs. |
Lewis | Evans family acquaintance |
| Merlyn |
Llewellyn | Williamsburg sheriff |
| Agnes |
Lloyd | Mayor Robert Lloyd's wife |
| Charlie |
Lloyd | Boy who sent love notes to Lilith |
| Merlyn |
Lloyd | One of Williamsburg's founding fathers |
| Robert |
Lloyd | Town mayor |
| Iain |
McNeil | Canadian baritone singer |
| Mrs. |
Mendenhall | Justine's good neighbor |
| Abe |
Miller | Matthew Miller's brother |
| Matthew |
Miller | Neighbor near the lake house |
| Mr. |
Miller | Abe and Matthew's father |
| Mrs. |
Miller | Abe and Matthew's grandmother |
| Friedrich |
Nietzsche | German philosopher |
| Maureen |
O'Hara | Irish-American actress |
| Elvis |
Presley | Iconic American singer and actor |
| Dr. |
Pugh | Local doctor |
| Felicity |
Pugh | One of Lilith's acquaintances |
| Mrs. |
Pugh | Evans family acquaintance |
| Sincerity |
Pugh | One of Lilith's acquaintances |
| Sarah |
Pugh Evans | One of Justine's ancestors |
| Ellery |
Queen | Refers to a famous fictional American detective |
| Little |
Richard | American singer-songwriter and pianist |
| Rose |
Scozzafava | Chorus teacher |
| Dr. |
Seuss | American author and illustrator |
| Brooke |
Shields | American actress |
| Claire |
Sorensen | One of Elizabeth Sorensen's children |
| Elizabeth |
Sorensen | Assistant principal at Williamsburg Elementary |
| Maxwell |
Sorensen | One of Elizabeth Sorensen's children |
| Rachel Susan |
Spiver | Restaurant owner |
| Johnny |
Swensen | Maurie's acquaintance |
| Tom |
Swift | Fictional character |
| Shirley |
Temple | Actress and former U.S. Chief of Protocol |
| Arthur |
Williams | Lawyer |
| Mr. |
Williams | Evans family acquaintance |
| Mrs. |
Williams | Mr. Williams's wife |
| Opal |
Williams | The Williamses' daughter |
| Rhys |
Williams | One of Williamsburg's founding fathers |
| Theodore |
Williams | Mr. Evans's neighbor |
| Justin |
Yeats | Doctor's son from Minneapolis |
| Sylvie |
Yeats | Justin Yeats's mother |
| Betty |
| Charlie Lloyd's twin sister; also one of Lilith's friends |
| Bing |
| One of the unsettling elderly brothers near the Minnesota lake house |
| Carrie |
| Makeup counter girl |
| Dinah |
| Librarian |
| Emma |
| One of Angela's best friends |
| Francis |
| Father of Justine's daughter |
| Jake |
| Nate's son |
| Lizzie |
| One of Angela's best friends |
| Maisy |
| Shoe store owner |
| Maurie |
| Justine's mother |
| Mike |
| Barber |
| Mimsy |
| Talking mouse |
| Nate |
| Quentin's brother |
| Phil |
| Maurie's boyfriend |
| Phoebe |
| Office manager |
| Quentin |
| Customer at Ray's restaurant |
| Samuel |
| Cabinetmaker's son |
| Suzanna |
| Named individual |
| T.J. |
| Chippewa cook |
