Janina

Janina is the novel’s protagonist and narrator. She is a semi-elderly woman who lives alone in a cabin in the woods. She used to be a civil engineer, and then she became a schoolteacher. She is now retired, but she drives into town a few days a week to tutor children. There are hints in the novel that she used to be married, but no details about her husband are ever given in the novel. Janina is a devout believer in astrology, and she is also loves the work of English poet William Blake.

After mysterious deaths begin to occur in the village, Janina seems to believe that astrology can be used to solve them. She writes letters to the police about this subject, and the police ignore her. Janina loves animals very much and values the lives of animals just as much as—or possibly more...