Character guide

Torres

major

Also known as Robbed Torres, Mr. Torres, the smiling Torres, the worthy Torres

Torres joins the jangada as a fellow traveler rescued in the forest, but his quiet reserve and pointed questions about the Garrals mark him as something other than a grateful passenger. He fixates on Minha and on Joam Garral's past, hinting at knowledge he refuses to name, and his shifting eyes betray a man pursuing a private advantage. His presence turns a leisurely river voyage into a slow-burning contest of watchfulness.

Benito Garral

major

Also known as Benito, Garral, Mr. Benito, Mr. Benito Garral, Benito Dacosta, Mr. Benito Dacosta

Benito is the energetic young Garral who manages the commercial side of the jangada voyage and takes charge when action is needed. He is quick to trust and quicker to act, whether hunting game along the banks or confronting the unease Torres stirs in the family. His loyalty to his father and sister makes him the story's forward-driving force, forever pushing toward the truth behind the mystery.

Joam Garral

major

Also known as Joam, Garral, Yaquita Joam Garral, Yaquita Joam, This Joam Garral, The Joam Garral

Joam Garral is the patriarch of a thriving plantation at Iquitos, a man whose competence and generosity have made him beloved by family, servants, and neighbors alike. Yet his calm authority masks a buried identity, and the arrival of Torres threatens to expose what he has spent years protecting. His quiet struggle between duty to his family and the demands of his hidden past anchors the novel's central tension.

Manoel Valdez

major

Also known as Mr. Manoel, Manoel, Manoel Valdez, Mr. Manoel Valdez, Neither Manoel

Manoel is the steady, observant counterweight to Benito's impulsiveness, a doctor engaged to Minha Garral and welcomed into the family as a son. From the moment Torres appears, Manoel distrusts him, noting the man's shifting eyes and calculating manner while the others extend hospitality. His loyalty and clear sight make him the family's quiet guardian as the voyage downriver grows increasingly perilous.

Joam Dacosta

major

Also known as Joam, Dacosta, Minha Dacosta, III Retrospective Joam Dacosta

Joam Dacosta is the identity Joam Garral left behind after being wrongly condemned in a notorious affair of stolen diamonds. A dying accomplice entrusted proofs of his innocence to Torres, who now uses them as a weapon of extortion, demanding Minha's hand in exchange for silence. The shadow of Dacosta turns a family river journey into a desperate race against exposure and execution.

Fragoso

supporting

Also known as But poor Fragoso, the gallant Fragoso, Mr. Fragoso, the illustrious Fragoso, the brave Fragoso, XVIII Fragoso, Gallant Fragoso

Fragoso is a good-natured jack-of-all-trades whose sociability and quick hands make him welcome wherever he goes along the Amazon. It is his casual generosity — offering Torres a free shave and speaking up for him — that brings the dangerous stranger into the Garrals' company. Lighthearted yet genuinely helpful, he becomes an unlikely but valued ally to the family as the voyage unfolds.

Judge Jarriquez

major

Also known as Jarriquez, Judge, Vicente Jarriquez

Jarriquez is the magistrate in Manaus charged with extracting the secret of a cryptogram on which a condemned man's life depends. Proud of his reasoning, he tries ages, dates, and victim counts until his frustration turns to near-madness and he cries out for chance to help him. His feverish struggle anchors the novel's central puzzle and raises the stakes of every delay.

Minha Garral

supporting

Also known as Minha, the smiling Minha, Miss Minha, Minha Valdez

Minha travels the Amazon aboard her father's giant raft, engaged to Manoel and cherished by the whole Garral household. Yet Torres's veiled threats and her father's hidden dread temper her joy, and she can only watch and wait as the mystery deepens. Her wedding journey becomes the emotional measure of how much the family stands to lose.

Lina

supporting

Also known as Miss Lina, the naive Lina, The inquisitive Lina, the charming Lina, So Lina

Lina serves as companion to Minha, but her curiosity and instinct make her far more than a servant aboard the jangada. She dislikes Torres on sight and persuades Fragoso to stay behind and keep watch while the family visits Ega, trading a handshake for his vigilance. Her suspicion gives the household its first active defense against the threat in their midst.

Yaquita Garral

supporting

Also known as Yaquita, Yaquita Dacosta, Yaquita Joam Garral, Yaquita Joam, Yaquit

Yaquita is the matriarch of the Garral family, married to Joam by Padre Passanha and mother to Benito and Minha. Her devotion shapes the domestic world of the jangada, from the chapel built for the old priest to the care lavished on every passenger. When her husband's past threatens to surface, her steadiness becomes the quiet counterweight to the voyage's mounting unease.

Judge Ribeiro

minor

Also known as Ribeiro

A former judge involved in the original Tijuco crime case.

Ortega

minor

Also known as this Ortega

A historical figure referenced in the backstory of the crime.

Araújo

minor

A name mentioned in connection with the Tijuco affair.

Padre Passanha

supporting

Also known as the Padre Passanha, Passanha, Padre, Father Passanha, Father

For fifty years Padre Passanha has led the mission at Iquitos, baptizing and educating the Garral children and marrying Yaquita to Joam. Now retiring to Pará, he travels with the family on the jangada, where a private chapel and little bell have been built in his honor. His presence consecrates the voyage's happiness, making the shadow that falls over it feel all the more like a sacrilege.

Muras Indians

minor

Also known as The Indians, The Muras, the Muras, the Indians, Indians

A hostile indigenous tribe encountered during the Amazon voyage.

Magalhães

minor

Also known as Farmer Magalhães

A farmer who provides information about the region.

Godin des Odonais

minor

A historical explorer mentioned in the narrative.

Madame Odonais

minor

Also known as Madame des Odonais

The wife of Godin des Odonais, part of a tragic historical story.

Bobo

minor

A minor character or nickname, possibly a servant or local.

Captain of the Woods

minor

Also known as the captain of the woods

A mysterious figure who appears at the start of the story.

Cybele

minor

Also known as old Cybele, Fragoso⁠—'old Cybele'

An old woman who helps Fragoso in the forest.

Madame Valdez

minor

The mother of Manoel Valdez.

Edgar Allan Poe

minor

Also known as Edgar Poe

The famous author referenced in the cryptogram puzzle.

Orellana

minor

Also known as the adventurous Orellana

A historical explorer of the Amazon mentioned in the text.

Humboldt

minor

Also known as the Humboldt

The naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, cited in the narrative.

Professor Agassiz

minor

Also known as Agassiz

A scientist mentioned in the context of Amazon exploration.