Tom's older, mentally disabled brother. He is a local legend for his strength in the water, but is haunted by his parentage (he is the product of incest between his mother and grandfather).
Generations of ancestors who acted as brewers and lock-keepers, demonstrating the long-term, intertwined history of the region. 3. Key Themes Waterland
The narrator and protagonist. A history teacher who believes that to understand the present, one must look at the past, although his faith in history is shaken by personal tragedies. Tom's older, mentally disabled brother