You’re trapped on a luxury cruise ship in the middle of the North Sea. The waves are black, the wind is howling, and you’ve just seen a woman thrown overboard. But here’s the kicker: the crew says that cabin was empty. No one is missing. You sound like a lunatic. This is the claustrophobic nightmare Ruth Ware crafts, and honestly, the characters in The Woman in Cabin 10 are what make the book feel less like a standard mystery and more like a fever dream.
Lo Blacklock isn’t your typical "heroine." She’s messy. She’s sleep-deprived. She’s dealing with a massive amount of trauma from a break-in at her flat before she even steps foot on the Aurora Borealis. When we talk about the characters in The Woman in Cabin 10, we have to start with the fact that Lo is a deeply unreliable narrator—not because she’s lying, but because she’s falling apart.
The Woman Who Wasn't There: Who Are the Characters in The Woman in Cabin 10?
Lo (Laura) Blacklock is a travel journalist. This trip was supposed to be her big break. Instead, she becomes obsessed with a woman she saw in the cabin next door—Cabin 10. The problem? According to the passenger manifest, that woman doesn't exist.
The dynamic between the characters in The Woman in Cabin 10 relies heavily on gaslighting. You have Richard Bull, the wealthy owner of the ship, who represents that untouchable, elite class of people who don't like "scenes." Then there’s Anne Bull, his wife, who seems fragile but holds a lot more power than you’d think.
Lo Blacklock: The Fragile Truth-Teller
Lo is the heart of the story. She’s drinking too much, she’s off her antidepressants, and she’s just survived a home invasion. Ware uses Lo to explore how people—especially men—dismiss women’s trauma as "hysteria." When Lo sees the splash, when she sees the blood on the glass, she knows what she saw. But the other characters in The Woman in Cabin 10 treat her like she’s having a breakdown. It’s frustrating. It’s visceral. You’ll want to reach into the pages and shake her, but you also feel for her. She’s vulnerable.
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The Mystery Woman (Carrie)
We can't talk about the cast without the girl in Cabin 10 herself. She appears to Lo wearing a Pink Floyd t-shirt, looking tired and out of place among the ballgowns and tuxedos. Her identity is the central "who-is-it" of the book. Without spoiling the massive twist, she is the catalyst for everything. She represents the "disposable" person—someone who can disappear because the powerful people around her decided she wasn't worth remembering.
Why the Supporting Cast Feels So Dangerous
The Aurora Borealis is tiny. Only ten cabins. That means every single one of the characters in The Woman in Cabin 10 is a suspect.
- Judah (Jude) Coleridge: Lo’s ex-boyfriend. He’s there to provide a grounding force, but also a source of conflict. His presence makes Lo question her own sanity even more because he knows her "old" self.
- Owen White: A fellow journalist. He’s cynical. He’s professional. He’s exactly the kind of person who makes Lo feel like she’s failing at her job.
- Johann Nilsson: The head of security. He’s the physical manifestation of the "wall" Lo keeps hitting. He’s polite, but he’s firm: there is no one in Cabin 10.
Most readers focus on the mystery, but the social hierarchy among the characters in The Woman in Cabin 10 is where the real tension lives. Richard Bull isn't just a host; he's the king of this floating castle. Everyone else is there by his grace. This creates a vacuum where the truth becomes secondary to keeping the boss happy.
The Psychological Weight of the Characters
Is Lo crazy? The book asks this constantly. By surrounding her with characters in The Woman in Cabin 10 who are polished, calm, and "sane," Ruth Ware highlights Lo’s jagged edges.
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Think about Ben Howard. He’s another journalist on board. He’s friendly enough, but even his kindness feels patronizing. This is a recurring theme in the book—how "normal" people react to someone in crisis. They distance themselves. They stop listening.
The isolation of the North Sea is a character in itself. It traps the characters in The Woman in Cabin 10 in a pressure cooker. There’s nowhere to run. If someone is a killer, they are sitting at the dinner table with you, sipping vintage champagne.
How the Ending Changes Everything We Know
When the truth finally drops, it’s not just a "gotcha" moment. It recontextualizes every interaction between the characters in The Woman in Cabin 10. You realize that some people weren't just being rude—they were being calculated.
The "Woman in Cabin 10" isn't who Lo thought she was. The identity theft and the layers of deception mean that for most of the book, you are looking at a mask. This is classic Ruth Ware. She takes the "locked room" mystery trope and makes it about identity and the erasure of women.
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Why We Still Talk About This Cast
Years after its release, people still argue about Lo’s choices. Some find her annoying. Others find her incredibly brave. The genius of the characters in The Woman in Cabin 10 is that they aren't meant to be liked. They are meant to be real.
Richard Bull represents the predatory nature of extreme wealth.
Anne Bull represents the complicity that comes with comfort.
And Lo? Lo represents the desperate struggle to be believed in a world that would rather you just shut up and enjoy the cruise.
Actionable Takeaways for Readers and Writers
If you’re revisiting this book or writing your own mystery, look at how the characters in The Woman in Cabin 10 are constructed.
- Trust No One (Especially the Narrator): Unreliable narrators work best when they have a reason to be unreliable. Lo’s trauma is that reason.
- Use the Setting: The ship forces the characters together. Use physical barriers to create psychological tension.
- Focus on Motivation: The "villain" in this story doesn't kill for fun; they kill to preserve a lifestyle. That’s much scarier.
- Listen to the "Invisible" People: The most important characters in The Woman in Cabin 10 are the ones the other passengers choose to ignore.
The next time you're on a trip, look at the people around you. Everyone has a secret. Everyone is hiding something. That’s the legacy of Ruth Ware’s work—it makes the ordinary feel deeply, dangerously suspicious.
To fully appreciate the narrative, pay close attention to the small items mentioned early on—the mascara, the lipstick, the specific brand of clothing. These aren't just descriptions; they are clues that link the characters in The Woman in Cabin 10 to the crimes being committed. Reading this book a second time is almost a different experience because you see the "tell" in every character’s dialogue.
Stay skeptical. Keep your door locked. And if you hear a splash in the middle of the night, maybe don't go out on the balcony alone.