Marion Althouse

Marion Althouse is the daughter of Pamela Althouse and the sister of Charlotte Althouse. Sixteen-year-old Marion has dark hair, gray eyes, and a knack for comforting. As Charlotte's younger sister, Marion used to look to her for protection, holding onto her during stormy nights. This earned her the nickname "starfish," explaining the matching starfish pendants both sisters wear (46). After her father's fatal car accident, Marion became the family's "rock," "a good steady girl" who never fell into "rage and self-pity" (5). Instead, she spends her energy worrying after her family. Their roles reverse as Marion begins comforting a grieving Charlotte in the night and keeping her mother safe from self-harm. Originally from "a suburb of Boston," Marion and her family move to Sawkill to begin anew as housekeepers for the Mortimer women (47). When Charlotte begins a friendship with Val Mortimer, Marion imagines being able to begin caring for...