Affinity (novel)

London, 1874

These characters appear in Margaret's diary entries.

• Mrs Prior, Margaret's mother.
• Stephen Prior, Margaret's brother.
• Helen Prior, Margaret's sister-in-law who is married to Stephen. It is heavily implied that she and Margaret shared an inappropriate level of intimacy prior to the novel's plot and Magaret's suicide attempt.
• Priscilla "Pris" Prior, Margaret's younger sister who is due to be married at the start of the novel.
• Mr Arthur Barclay, the man engaged to Priscilla and later her husband.
• Mrs Wallace, a wealthy friend of Mrs Prior's.
• Mr Wallace, Mrs Wallace's husband.
• Mr Hither, a spiritualist and curator of the British National Association of Spiritualists.
• Ellis, the Prior's housekeeper.
• Boyd, a servant girl at the Prior's.
• Vigers, a servant girl at the Prior's who replaces Boyd after her departure from the house.
• Mr Cornwallis, a painter who is producing a portrait of Priscilla for her engagement.

London, 1872

These characters appear in Selina's diary entries.

• Mrs Brink, of Sydenham, London, who takes in Selina as her ward.
• Peter Quick, a 'spirit' who uses Selina as his medium.
• Miss Madeleine Silvester, the girl in the sitting with Selina who is witnessed as being hysterical by Mrs. Brink shortly before her death.
• Ruth, a servant girl at Mrs Brink's who is loyal to Selina.
• Mr Vincy, the owner of a spiritualist boarding house and Selina's landlord in Holborn prior to her moving in with Mrs. Brink.
• Miss Sibree, a fellow spiritualist who lodges with Selina in Holborn.
• Mrs Vincy, Mr Vincy's wife.

Millbank

• Mr Shillitoe, the warden of Millbank Prison who encourages Margaret to become a visitor.
• Miss Haxby, principal matron and governess of the female section of the prison.
• Miss Ridley, chief matron.
• Miss Manning, a matron on wards A and B.
• Mrs Pretty, a stout, heavy matron who looks after the maximum security prisoners.
• Mrs Jelf, a kindly matron who looks after Second Class, First Class and Star Class prisoners on Selina's ward.
• Susan Pilling, a prisoner on Miss Manning's ward the first prisoner Margaret meets at Millbank.
• Ellen Power, an elderly fellow prisoner on Selina's ward.
• Mary Ann Cook, a fellow prisoner on Selina's ward. Her name may have been inspired by the serial killer Mary Ann Cotton.
• Agnes Nash, a prisoner who was found guilty of coin counterfeiting.
• Jane Jarvis, a fellow prisoner on Selina's ward; formerly a prostitute.
• Emma White, a prisoner on B ward.
• Miss Craven, a matron.
• Mr Dabny, the prison chaplain.
• Miss Brewer, the clerk to the chaplain.