In A Dark Dark Wood

Clare Cavendish is a paradoxical character for most of the story. Clare, Nora’s former best friend since grade school, plucked Nora from her friendless state and changed her life. Over the years of their friendship, Nora overlooked Clare’s “queen bee” personality out of gratitude. Clare is manipulative, self-centered, petty, and cruel. However, she can also be charming, generous, and supportive, so her friends tend to forgive her when she hurts them. She chooses weak, insecure people to be her “BFF,” which allows her to shine in comparison.

The most important thing in life to Clare is her reputation and how others view her. Throughout the novel, the other characters recognize that Clare is disingenuous—she is a perpetual actor. As a performer in her own life, Clare strives to project the appearance of being perfect, with the perfect life and the perfect man (James).

Nina de Souza is Nora’s friend from grade school and is the only person from Nora’s past with whom she has kept in touch, since Nina also lives in London. Nina is a doctor who has volunteered with Médecins Sans Frontières and has a long-term relationship with her girlfriend, Jess. Although Nina is consistently sarcastic and likes to stir things up for fun, she has a strongly compassionate core personality and is protective of her friends, including Nora. When Nora is in the hospital, Nina tries hard to help her. She fights to get the police and hospital staff to allow her to see Nora, including a brief visit just to bring her clothes and money.

Nina is uncomfortable and irritated with having to be at the hen do and wishes she didn’t come, even before James’s murder. Clare’s presence reinforces how much Nina dislikes Clare, who outed Nina as gay to people when they were at school. Nina goes into “doctor mode” both with James when he sustains a gunshot wound and with Flo after she tries to commit suicide. Their deaths are hard on Nina. When the hospital finally releases Nora, Nina makes sure to bring her friend home safely.

Flo is Clare’s maid of honor and best friend since university. Flo feels deeply indebted to Clare, who helped her through a very difficult time in her life. Flo obsessively seeks to emulate Clare to an unhealthy degree and even dresses in clothing identical to Clare’s. Flo has made it her personal mission to ensure that Clare’s hen weekend is “perfect,” and she becomes upset and even enraged when she thinks any of the other guests are “ruining” it. Flo has a weak personality. Clare easily manipulates her into being an accomplice, but Flo is neither mean-spirited nor malicious. When she realizes how Clare has used her in a scheme to kill James, Flo becomes so upset that she attempts suicide. She eventually succumbs to the effects of her overdose and dies at the end of the story. 

Tom is a friend of Clare’s; they work together for the Royal Theatre Company, and is the only male guest at the hen do. Tom is a playwright, married to a director named Bruce, who has been very good friends with James for many years. Tom is meticulously clothed, sophisticated, and enjoys heavy drinking and drug use. Tom tries his best to help save James after Flo shoots him. After the revelation that Clare is the culprit behind James’s murder, Tom comes to visit Nora in the hospital to apologize, as he suspected Nora as the conspirator.

Melanie is a friend of Clare and Flo from university. She is a new mother and this weekend is her first time away from her baby. She misses him terribly and can’t fully enjoy herself during the first night of the hen party. Upset that there is no phone reception and that the landline is down at the house, Melanie decides to leave the party early. She is the one who explains to Nora, Nina, and Tom that Flo’s devotion to Clare stems from a mental breakdown she had at university.