The Pilot's Wife

Although the novel begins after his death, Jack Lyons is a central character in the novel. As Kathryn’s husband, his death and the subsequent revelations about his life inspire Kathryn to revisit old memories with a new perspective. Through the short flashback chapters about Kathryn and Jack’s relationship, the reader comes to know Jack. He is a pilot, and as Kathryn says: “He liked risk” (146). Further, “he was impatient with routine once out of the plane. He preferred to think of possibilities and be ready for them” (80). Over the years, he becomes withdrawn in his marriage to Kathryn. When he is home, he spends his time either with Mattie or in his office at his computer. Any attempts that Katherine makes to bridge this gap are met with anger and silence.

When Kathryn first meets Jack, he is 33 to her 18, and she finds him charismatic: “There are tiny wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and he doesn’t have perfect teeth. His hair is cut short, a military cut, dark, almost black, and would be curly if it had any length. There is a dent in his hair, as if he had a cap on earlier” (22). Jack’s occupation as a pilot is his defining characteristic and fundamental to Kathryn’s first impression of him, though he is disparaging about his work, likening himself to a bus driver.

Jack’s eyes are two different shades of blue, a genetic anomaly inherited by his daughter, Mattie, as well as his baby with Muire. As Kathryn points out, this anomaly “made people examine his face as though this asymmetrical characteristic suggested imbalance, perhaps something wrong” (13). As with many elements of this character, Shreve very subtly suggests Jack’s dissatisfaction and secrets. His dissatisfaction, coupled with his love of risk, will lead him to a secret, second marriage and dangerous work smuggling for the IRA.

Robert Hart works for the pilot’s union, and is the first person to arrive at Kathryn’s house with the news of Jack’s death. He provides support for her throughout the novel; however, as the story continues, Robert’s professional interests collide with his personal ones. He withholds information from Kathryn, and when she finds out he has been keeping secrets from her, she feels betrayed. Robert advises Kathryn that, when dealing with grief, “[Y]ou have to let this happen to you” (67). He agrees with Julia that no one else can help Kathryn, and yet he provides unswerving support as she goes through the grieving process.

Robert is Kathryn’s love interest. Kathryn describes him:

[A]n attractive man. An arresting face. The widow’s peak and the dust-colored hair, combined with the way he sat slouched with his hands in his pockets, made him look vaguely British, like a character in a World War II movie. Someone who would have been in ciphers, she thought (154).

Kathryn’s observation conveys that Robert is quiet, intelligent, and thoughtful. Ciphers, or codebreaking, requires focus, patience, and close observation, all of which are characteristic of Robert. At the end of the novel, when he returns to Kathryn’s house, Shreve provides a feeling of hope: Kathryn and Mattie are able to look forward to the future, and there is a possibility of a future relationship between Robert and Kathryn.

Mattie is Kathryn and Jack’s 15-year-old daughter, named Matigan, after Jack’s mother. Mattie is, in many ways, a typical teenager, and she is smart and stubborn. As she navigates grief, she articulates what she needs to her mother and Julia, as when telling Kathryn: “I don’t want you to come here and try to tell me a lot of lies to make things better. Because I don’t want lies right now. It can’t be made better, and I don’t want to pretend. I just want to be left alone” (120). Mattie is a truth-teller, and her honesty stands out amidst the mysteries of Jack’s secret life.

Mattie and Jack are very close, and she is devastated by his death. As Kathryn works to channel her grief so that she can grapple with the situation, Mattie immerses herself. Yet this does not stop her from confronting uncomfortable ideas, like whether one can ever truly know another person. She follows the logic of Jack’s possible suicide, asking the question that even Kathryn does not want to face—“if it’s true, does that mean that Daddy murdered all those people? Would it be murder?” (119).

Mattie shows a willingness to struggle with the most horrifying aspects of their situation, and by doing so, is able to move on. By the end of the novel, several months after Jack’s death, Mattie has come through her grief; although she still misses her father, she is healthy and active. She has also found a way to stay connected to Jack by learning to fish with his tackle. By following her own path, Mattie has been able to move forward and cope with her father’s absence.

Julia is Kathryn’s paternal grandmother, and in practice, Kathryn’s mother. Kathryn’s parents died when she was young, but even before that time, they were completely absorbed in their own relationship, unable to care for Kathryn in even the most basic way. Kathryn and her parents lived with Julia and, when Kathryn’s parents died, Julia grieved the loss of her son even as she helped a young Kathryn through her own loss. This experience gave her the insight to be a solid support system for Kathryn and Mattie, helping them both get what they need to grieve.

Julia is “seventy-eight and wore baggy jeans that were always slightly too short, loose sweaters that attempted to camouflage a prominent stomach” (36). From the first moment she enters the story, her no-nonsense persona is clear: She “moved through the house with the stolid presence of a relief worker in an emergency zone: disrespectful toward death and seemingly unwilling to be cowed” (30). She dispenses pragmatic advice that Kathryn doesn’t always appreciate, although Kathryn admits: “It was always difficult to refute Julia’s wisdom, especially as Julia so often turned out to be right” (185). While Kathryn is unraveling the mystery of Jack’s secret life, Julia is caring for Mattie, and is even willing to enforce distance between Kathryn and Mattie when she feels it is in Mattie’s best interest.

When Kathryn tells Julia about Jack’s secret life, “it was the first time Kathryn could remember her grandmother at a loss for words, unable to give advice” (285). Julia is deeply affected by the loss, as she has been a constant presence and close member of the family. Her close relationship with Jack is evidenced by the fact that they secretly colluded to buy the house at Fortune’s Rocks, keeping secrets from Kathryn.