to an antihero. Garrigan's courage is scant, overshadowed by his constant anxieties over personal safety. His personal relationships flounder, leading to rejection from both his romantic pursuits. Estranged from his family and friends in Scotland, when adversity hits, he often chooses flight over fight. For instance, he abandons the faltering Mbarara clinic for Kampala and Amin's court. As Amin’s madness and savagery become undeniable, Garrigan resolves to "build a castle" within himself for protection. Once he escapes Uganda to evade possible charges for his complicity, he seeks solace on a remote Scottish isle, where he pens his memoirs, living out his days in the solitude of reflection.

Kay Amin

Kay Amin, intricately woven from reality, stands as Idi Amin’s second wife—one of five in his polygamous life. Her lineage traces back to a clergyman, and her own pursuit of knowledge once led her to the halls of a university. Entangled in a forbidden romance, she becomes the lover of Peter Mbalu-Mukasa. The shadow of her pregnancy looms large, pushing Peter to beseech Garrigan for an abortion—a plea met with refusal, fueled by Garrigan’s fear of Amin’s wrath. Tragedy strikes as whispers fill the air of a botched procedure, leading to Kay's untimely demise through blood loss. The following day, Peter’s despair culminates in a final sleep, induced by an overdose of pills. Despite the swirling rumors, Garrigan staunchly denies Amin’s hand in their fates, though the sight of Kay’s dismembered body in the morgue hints at unsolved mysteries.

Bonney

See Boniface Malumba

Doctor Garrigan

See Nicholas Garrigan

George Garrigan

In the austere shadow of Presbyterian beliefs stands George Garrigan, father to Nicholas. Stoic and serious, he disapproves of his son’s departure to Uganda, yearning instead for him to establish a medical practice in the Scottish highlands. This discord only deepens the rift between father and son. In Nicholas’s second year abroad, grief finds him as news of his father’s passing reaches him. Yet, he remains in Uganda, choosing the distance over returning for the funeral rites.

Jeanie Garrigan

Jeanie Garrigan, mother to Nicholas, bequeaths to him her relentless work ethic and penchant for worry. Her life, tethered to her husband’s, succumbs to the weight of sorrow following his death. Her son, lingering in Uganda, lets the homeland bury her without his presence, enveloped in his own turmoil.

Moira Garrigan

Moira Garrigan, Nicholas’s sister, voices her concern over his dangerous proximity to Amin’s volatile orbit with the pointed question, “How did you let yourself get so close to such a man?” In the ensuing silence of correspondence, Nicholas entrusts her with the tapes and journals chronicling his harrowing experiences, which she safely dispatches to his secluded writing haven.

Ed Howarth

Ed Howarth is tasked with crafting the public image of Garrigan upon his return to the bustling streets of London. As the orchestrator of press conferences, he meticulously prepares Garrigan, advising him on the careful dance of words he must deliver.

Colonel Armstrong Kuchasa

Colonel Kuchasa, a stalwart of the Tanzanian forces, emerges as a savior amidst the chaos of Mbarara. His actions provide a refuge for Garrigan within the confines of an armored vehicle, as they journey through the turbulent landscape from Mbarara to Kampala.

Major Mabuse

Once a mere taxi driver, Major Mabuse ascends to feared military prominence under Amin’s regime. Rumors murmur of his involvement in the chilling deaths of two young American tourists, casting a shadow over his newfound power.

Boniface Malumba

On a bus winding from Kampala to Mbarara, Garrigan meets Boniface Malumba, a bright-eyed student of food science. With warm hospitality, Malumba welcomes Garrigan into the fold of his family. Their afternoon shared over a meal is a brief respite before the tumult of conflict claims Malumba’s life, torn between pro-Obote forces and Amin’s army.

Gugu Malumba

Younger brother to Boniface, Gugu Malumba exudes a zest for life until tragedy decimates his family, leaving him the sole survivor of the Mbarara skirmishes. Taken in by Sara and Garrigan at the clinic, his silence speaks volumes—until a relative arrives to reclaim him. The next encounter with Gugu reveals a grim transformation into one of Amin’s executioners, his life extinguished in battle against Tanzanian forces.

Peter Mbalu-Mukasa

Among the corridors of Mulago Hospital, Peter Mbalu-Mukasa stands as a respected African doctor and Garrigan’s colleague. His clandestine affair with Kay Amin propels him to seek Garrigan’s aid for an abortion—a desperate request met with refusal. The consequences are dire, as whispers of Kay’s fatal hemorrhage and Peter’s subsequent suicide permeate the air, shrouded in suspicions of Amin’s involvement.

Doctor Alan Merrit

At the Mbarara clinic, Dr. Alan Merrit presides, marked by a striking white streak amidst his brown hair—a peculiar signature of his appearance. Married to Joyce for over two decades, they’ve made Uganda their home. However, as Garrigan opts to join Amin’s inner circle, Merrit’s dismay is palpable. Eventually, the political tides eject the Merrits from Uganda alongside other British expatriates.

Joyce Merrit

In the warmth of hospitality, Joyce Merrit welcomes Garrigan, offering sustenance and shelter until he finds his footing. Her kindness provides a comforting contrast to the upheaval surrounding them.

President Obote

Upon Garrigan’s arrival in Uganda, the political landscape shifts dramatically as Idi Amin seizes control from President Apollo Obote, marking the dawn of his reign in 1971.

Marina Perkins

Marina Perkins, the spouse of the British ambassador, carries an allure tempered by her fig-like smile. During a shared boat trip with Garrigan, an ill-fated attempt at seduction leaves her incensed, severing any ties of camaraderie. Later, Garrigan observes her in a moment of intimacy with Freddy Swanepoel, before the political climate forces her and her husband into exile alongside other British dignitaries.

Ambassador Robert Perkins

Ambassador Perkins, the British envoy to Uganda, shares his life with Marina Perkins. Garrigan regards the ambassador with disdain, likening him to a "sponge" and describing him as the "typical Foreign Office model: slicked-back hair, a hefty frame straining within the confines of a prickly suit."

Ivor Seabrook

Ivor Seabrook, an "elderly Englishman," serves as a physician at the Mbarara clinic. Upon their first meeting, Garrigan perceives Seabrook as possessing the appearance of a "chronic tropical alcoholic."

Spiny

See Doctor Alan Merrit

Nigel Stone

Nigel Stone, stationed at the British Embassy in Kampala, requests Garrigan to "keep a vigilant eye out for any irregularities" at the Mbarara clinic. Later, when Garrigan becomes Amin's physician in Kampala, Stone suggests that he administer a drug to Amin to temper his volatile behavior.

As Amin's atrocities become undeniable, Stone approaches Garrigan with a grim proposal: to assassinate Amin. He promises substantial financial compensation, assuring Garrigan that the British government will "take care of" him. Stone later orchestrates Garrigan's release from a Kenyan prison, where he is held on charges of colluding with Amin. Meeting Garrigan at the London airport, Stone compels him to sign a document affirming that his actions in Uganda were solely his responsibility, absolving the British government of any influence.

Freddy Swanepoel

A robust South African aviator, Freddy Swanepoel, operates out of Nairobi for Rafiki Aviation. He coyly describes his tasks as transporting "goods for the Kenyan and Ugandan governments, among various odds and ends." Garrigan first encounters him at a hotel bar, noting his "chunky and muscular" features, even in his face.

Swanepoel's fate takes a tragic turn when Garrigan unwittingly hands him a bomb disguised as a package from Amin. As Swanepoel prepares to depart from Entebbe, the plane detonates, claiming the lives of both Swanepoel and his passenger.

Jonas Wasswa

Jonas Wasswa, serving as Idi Amin’s health minister, appoints Garrigan as Amin’s personal doctor. However, Wasswa eventually falls victim to Amin’s brutal regime.

William Waziri Garrigan forges a close friendship with William Waziri, a Ugandan doctor educated in the United States and working at the Mbarara clinic. As they travel the countryside for vaccination campaigns, Waziri shares tales of local legends and history. When violence between pro-Obote forces and Amin's army escalates near Mbarara, Waziri takes a leave of absence but never returns. Tragically, Garrigan later encounters Waziri among the tortured prisoners in Amin’s secret dungeons, witnessing his demise.

Major Archibald Drummond Weir

Major Weir, a British intelligence officer hailing from Scotland, is stationed in Kampala. Garrigan finds him unsettling and intimidating. Weir assembles what Stone dubs "a magnificent flying machine," a diminutive, radio-controlled device he pilots on the British Embassy grounds. He is recalled to London under shadowy circumstances, fueling Garrigan's suspicions of "over-familiarity with Amin." Stone, however, insists Weir was "overly loquacious." Back in Scotland, Garrigan stumbles upon a newspaper article branding Weir as a "nationalist extremist" and "the most accomplished bomber in Scotland's history."

Sara Zach

Garrigan falls profoundly for Sara Zach, an Israeli doctor, almost as soon as they cross paths at the Mbarara clinic. Initially, her demeanor is one of cool efficiency, and it takes time for their relationship to blossom into a romance. During her tenure at the clinic, Garrigan notices peculiarities: she takes notes at Amin’s rally, her shortwave radio not only receives but transmits, and she spends copious time with a local Israeli road crew. She skillfully deflects Garrigan’s inquiries into her activities. Their love affair abruptly ends, and Sara vanishes from the clinic.

Years later, Garrigan receives an unexpected call at his Kampala home. A hijacked plane awaits on Entebbe’s runway, and she identifies herself as a colonel in the Israeli military, imploring Garrigan to persuade Amin to release the hostages. Although he refuses, Garrigan realizes she likely acted as an Israeli spy during her time at the Mbarara clinic.