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Table of Contents KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS SETTING A small industrial city in Northwestern England during the 1960s. CHARACTERS Major Characters Jeanette - A young Pentecostal girl who grows up and discovers she is a lesbian. Jeanette's mother - A fervent believer who tries to instill in her adopted daughter her own rigid beliefs. Pastor Spratt - The pastor of Jeanette's church who goes to great lengths to keep his flock "pure." Mrs. White - A friend of Jeanette's mother whose primary concern is whether or not someone is holy. Mrs. Jewsbury - A marginal member of the church who is privately a lesbian. Elsie Norris - A member of the church who takes care of and understands Jeanette because her "sin is the same as Jeanette's." Melanie - A girl who Jeanette brings into the church and who becomes her first love.
Jeanette's father - Jeanette's father is rarely present or even mentioned, but seems to function mostly as a reminder that Jeanette's mother is not lesbian. Katy - Another girl who Jeanette brings into the church and who becomes her second love. Ida - One of the women who runs the paper shop. She is a lesbian and once invites Jeanette to the beach. Mrs. Virtue - Jeanette's sewing teacher when she is seven years old. | |
