Characters


 * **Matilda Laimo**, the main character of the novel, is also the fictional autobiographical author. She retells the story of her life on Bougainville during the wars of the 1990's, and illuminates on how literature saved her life.
 * **Dolores Laimo** is Matilda's mother. This extremely passionate, religious mother is overly protective of her daughter, but it is her authoritative personality that ultimately saves Matilda's life. She sacrifices herself in order to salvage the life and innocence of her beloved daughter.
 * **Mr. Watts (Popeye)** introduces Dickens' //Great Expectations// to the children on the island. Being the only remaining white man on the island, he faces much adversity, but his devotion to his wife, Grace, and the children remains unwavering until his death.
 * **Grace**, a native of Boughainville, was sent to dental school in Australia where she met Mr. Watts. She suffered from mental illness, which brought the two back to the island, where they were married. She died of malaria.

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