Marjorie Vicks

Marjorie Vicks is a resident of the unnamed town in which the novel takes place. The narration often refers to her simply as ‘Ms. Vicks.’ She works as a teacher at the local school. At the start of the novel, she is 50 years old. She is unmarried, has a pet dog, and lives alone. She has a romantic and sexual relationship with a local man named Walter Woodard, who is also known as ‘the sorcerer.’ Unfortunately, Walter ends the relationship after falling on love with a young local woman named Mary.

The characters of Mary and Eddie are both students of Marjorie’s at the beginning of the novel. An unspecified number of years later, Marjorie retires from teaching. The narrative also seems to imply that she dies eventually, although the cause of death is not stated. It is also possible that Marjorie is simply existing in...