Nell

Nell is the 17-year-old narrator of the novel, and the chronicler of the account in the notebook. She is the younger sister of Eva. Intelligent, practical, and a secret romantic, Nell is much like any other teenage girl when the novel begins. She is lulled by luxury and a desire for college until the collapse, but then must actively work to transition from teenage girl to young woman bent on survival as she comes of age through experiences like hunting, planting, and self-defense. Nell becomes a more confident, capable, and adaptable young woman by the end of the novel, taking to the forest with Eva and baby Robert for a new life.

Eva

Eva is the 18-year-old sister of Nell. Gentle, cultured, and very much for living in the moment, Eva is a ballet dancer and very much a typical teenage girl. Only the collapse shocks her into...