Emmanuel Darwin

Emmanuel Darwin is one of two central characters in this novel. Darwin was forced to take a job as a gravedigger to support himself and his mother because there were so few jobs available in Port Angeles. Darwin was raised in the Rastafarian beliefs and must break the oath he made never to deal with the dead when he accepts the job. Darwin cuts off his dreadlocks, which are worn by the Rasta because they also vow not to cut their hair, symbolizing that he has broken his oath.

While working in the cemetery, Darwin begins to notice things that do not make sense. For instance, after two days of rain, a grave that had been filled in a week prior still appeared to be fresh. After the police come to the cemetery to investigate the disappearance of Julius, a man whose wife had been buried in...