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| Character | Role |
|---|---|
Cornelius Suttree Son of a respectable Knoxville family who has rejected his background to live on a houseboat on the Tennessee River, fishing and drinking among the outcasts and drifters of the city's underworld. The novel follows his years on the river with dark comedy and genuine tenderness. He is both participant and observer, never fully belonging to the world he has chosen. | Member |
A scrawny, illiterate eighteen-year-old country boy sent to the workhouse for his misadventures in a watermelon patch, where he was shot with a shotgun. Small and feral, he possesses boundless energy and a talent for harebrained schemes. He arrives in Knoxville after his release, determined to make his fortune.
| Member |
J-Bone One of Suttree's closest friends and a regular of the McAnally Flats drinking circle. A boisterous, hard-drinking man given to outrageous behaviour, he serves as a link between Suttree and the wider community of Knoxville lowlifes. | Member |
Ab Jones An enormous black man who runs a riverside establishment near Suttree's houseboat - part tavern, part after-hours gathering place. He calls Suttree "Youngblood" and presides over his dim domain with quiet authority. | Member |
Oceanfrog Frazer A black man from the Front Street neighbourhood, a regular at Howard Clevinger's store and a fixture of the local community. He is cool-headed and socially adept, capable of defusing tense situations with easy charm. | Member |
Hoghead A freckle-faced, towheaded young man from the McAnally Flats neighbourhood. Jaunty and mischievous, he runs punchboards and frequently finds himself in trouble with the law and with the locals. | Member |
Boneyard A member of Suttree's McAnally Flats drinking circle, recognisable by his dark, anthracite eyes. He is a quiet presence among the louder personalities of the group. | Member |
Bungalow A black man who accompanies Jabbo to Howard Clevinger's store, carrying a pint of splo whiskey under his jersey. He is more passive than Jabbo, deferring to him in social situations. | Member |
Bobbyjohn McAnally Flats drinker and Cornelius Suttree's running mate at Jimmy Smith's; still around when Suttree comes home from the mountains. | Member |
Bearhunter A member of the McAnally Flats crowd who arrives at the Huddle bar with Billy Ray Callahan and Worm after their release from the workhouse. | Member |
Blind Richard A blind man who frequents the Huddle bar, recognisable by his wet green teeth and squinted lids over blown-out eyeballs. Despite his blindness he is a regular fixture in the McAnally social scene. | Member |
Cabbage A member of the McAnally Flats drinking circle, known for his crude humour and rowdy behaviour. He once beat a morals charge through audacious means, according to local legend. | Member |
Worm A member of the McAnally Flats crowd who arrives at the Huddle bar with Billy Ray Callahan. He has been barred from the establishment but is readmitted at Callahan's request. | Member |
Junior Long Younger of the Long brothers, regular at Jimmy Smith's; lends his car to the McAnally crowd for late-night runs. | Member |
Smokehouse A white derelict who works as a handyman and doorkeeper at Ab Jones's riverside establishment. He has twisted legs and hobbles about with a broom, begging coins from acquaintances when encountered uptown. | Member |
Billy Ray Callahan A red-headed, gap-toothed tough from the McAnally Flats neighbourhood. Recently released from the workhouse, he is brash, fearless, and quick with his fists, often the instigator or enthusiastic participant in barroom brawls. | Member |
Red Callahan Older Callahan brother, fellow workhouse hand of Cornelius Suttree; later at the hospital when Billy Ray Callahan is shot. | Member |
Jimmy Smith Owner of the McAnally Flats drinking house where Cornelius Suttree and the Sunday regulars run up their tabs. | Member |