The Round House

Bazil is Joe’s father and a well-respected judge on the reservation. Bazil is idealized by Joe, though Joe eventually discovers that Bazil deals with petty crimes as opposed to murders. As a judge, Bazil studies law and keeps some of his books in his study at home. He does not let his son read these books as he is too young, but Bazil soon realizes that Joe has been reading them and has a knack for law. Bazil does not want to involve Joe in the aftermath of Geraldine’s rape, but due to loneliness, he allows Joe to assist him with reviewing old court cases, inadvertently giving Joe much of the information he uses to track down the attacker.

Bazil is devastated by his wife’s rape and feels helpless because, though he is a judge, he cannot bring his wife’s attacker to justice. Bazil is slow to anger, and though he wants to do something about the attack and is often goaded by Joe in anger, he keeps a clear head. Though persistent, Bazil finds himself increasingly stressed throughout the novel, eventually having a heart attack after confronting his wife’s attacker. Being older, Bazil and Geraldine had not planned to have a child; perhaps his age and worry about his thirteen-year-old son, Joe, add to his stress, causing the heart attack.

Bazil eventually realizes that Joe is responsible for Linden Lark’s death, though he does not say anything. Bazil blames himself for involving Joe so much, though he also believes that Linden received the justice of a wiindigoo. Wiindigoos are creatures that were once human, and can be a tribesman gone crazy or a white man who eats the flesh of an Indian.

Geraldine is Joe’s mother and Bazil’s wife. She is described as lively, happy, and kind. Joe recalls how his mother used to love to laugh and enjoy life. Geraldine is the tribal enrollment specialist, meaning that she knows all the secrets of the reservation. She aides people in researching and proving their Native American heritage. Her job and her knowledge are the reasons that she is raped and nearly killed by Linden Lark.

Geraldine’s rape, around which the novel’s plot revolves, is a result of her helping Mayla Wolfskin. Geraldine spends most of the novel suffering from trauma and depression. She remains indoors in her bedroom, while her family suffers from her absence. When Linden is brought to trial, Geraldine begins to heal, even returning to work. But when he is released from jail, Geraldine returns to her fearful self. Her pain and inability to find peace are mixed up with Linden’s crime, and so her son, Joe, later kills Linden, allowing her some peace.

Linden is Geraldine Coutts’ attacker. He owns a gas station off the reservation that is doing poorly due to people on the reservation patronizing their own gas station. Once, Linden’s gas station was the only one in the area so those on the reservation were forced to go to him. He would charge Native Americans different prices, however, often overcharging them. A lawsuit was brought against him, and the reservation helped Whitey open a gas station, thus adding to Linden and the Larks’ woes.

Linden is described as a violent and selfish man. He is often in trouble with the law, though he usually gets off. When he attacks Geraldine, he attempts to cover his tracks by covering her head with a pillowcase, and plans to kill her and burn the body. Though he is eventually caught, the fact that Geraldine cannot say with certainty what happened due to her face being covered is one of the main reasons that Linden is released from jail with no real consequences for his actions.

Linden does not leave town upon his release, and his presence irks everyone, including Bazil, who has a heart attack after confronting Linden in a grocery store, and Geraldine, who returns to her traumatized, fearful self once Linden is released. Linden is eventually killed by Joe and his friend Cappy. He is shot several times. It is hinted that Linden killed his former girlfriend Mayla and buried her at a construction site. Mayla’s child was left at a Goodwill by Linden and later found. Linden would most likely have been charged with the murder, a charge that would have stuck.

Cappy is one of Joe’s best friends. Cappy lives with his father and brother in a constant state of uncleanliness as his mother died, leaving his father, the occasional tribal chairman (and janitor) to look after the boys. Cappy’s family assists with the sweathouse and powwow ceremonies, with Cappy and Joe (who sometimes helps) getting free food in the deal.

Cappy is described as a loyal friend. When Joe’s mother, Geraldine, is attacked, he gives Joe a thunderbird egg stone for support. Cappy also helps Joe track down Geraldine’s attacker and, when the two find it to be Linden Lark, helps Joes kill Linden. Cappy shoots the fatal shot after Joe’s two shots in the chest fail to kill Linden. Later, Cappy falls asleep at the wheel and dies in a car accident while on his way to see Zelia, the girl he loved.