Silvie

Silvie is the first person narrator and 17-year-old protagonist of the novel. As the only child of her powerless mother Alison and her abusive father Bill, Silvie has little agency and struggles to find her voice and fight her desires to defy her father's dominance. Forced to participate in the archeological reenactment, Silvie attempts to navigate her father's cruelty in the context of the Professor and his students, Molly, Dan, and Pete.

At the start of the summer and the beginning of the narrative, Silvie is markedly withdrawn. Because she fears her father's explosive reactions, Silvie guards herself. Even her narrative voice withholds truths from the reader. She also finds herself incapable of opening up to the students, to forming authentic relationships with them. As the novel unfolds, Silvie's narrative gradually reveals her sharp intellect, keen powers of awareness and empathy, and her deep connection with the land...