Bone Gap

Laura Ruby

39 pages 1-hour read

Laura Ruby

Bone Gap

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2015

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Finn is an 18-year-old preparing for college in the rural town of Bone Gap. The townspeople mockingly call him "Moonface" and "Sidetrack" because they perceive him as spacey and easily distracted. He secretly lives with an inability to distinguish facial features, a condition that isolates him and makes it impossible for him to provide a physical description of Roza's kidnapper. He carries heavy guilt over the abduction and desperately wants to mend his fractured relationship with his older brother.

Key Relationships

Younger Brother of Sean O'Sullivan

Friend of Roza

Romantic Interest of Priscilla Willis (Petey)

Best Friend of Miguel Cordero

Son of Didi

Son of Hugh

Neighbor of Charlie Valentine

Opponent of Scare Crow

Roza is a 20-year-old botanist who immigrated to America from Poland to study at a university. Before her abduction, she lived in the O'Sullivan family barn and developed a deep connection with the brothers. She actively resents the constant harassment her striking beauty brings, preferring to be valued for her intelligence and gardening skills. Currently held hostage by an obsessive captor, she actively plots ways to free herself.

Key Relationships

Captive of Scare Crow

Romantic Interest of Sean O'Sullivan

Granddaughter of Babcia

Companion to Rus

Sean is an emergency medical technician working in Bone Gap. He surrendered his ambitions of attending medical school to raise his younger brother after their mother abandoned the family. He harbors quiet resentment toward Finn for Roza's disappearance, suspecting his brother somehow frightened her away. He holds deep romantic feelings for Roza and struggles to cope with the emotional void left by her absence.

Key Relationships

Older Brother of Finn O' Sullivan

Romantic Interest of Roza

Son of Didi

Son of Hugh

Petey is a local teenager who helps her mother maintain the town's bee hives. She projects a tough, abrasive exterior to protect herself from the townspeople, who frequently mock her facial features and circulate malicious rumors about her. Beneath her defensive posture, she enjoys reading romance novels and yearns for genuine connection. She becomes the only person in Bone Gap to believe Finn's account of Roza's kidnapping.

Key Relationships

Romantic Interest of Finn O' Sullivan

Daughter of Mel

Friend of Amber Hass

The Scare Crow is an obsessively controlling man who holds Roza captive in an isolated location. He views people as possessions to be collected and prioritizes his own desires over the autonomy of others. He uses intimidation to maintain control over his environment, demanding that Roza return his affections regardless of her own feelings.

Key Relationships

Captor of Roza

Opponent of Finn O' Sullivan

Owner of Rus

Supporting Characters

Charlie is an eccentric older man living across the street from the O'Sullivan brothers. He raises chickens that lay brightly colored eggs in pinks and greens, allowing the birds to roost freely inside his home. Originally from Poland, he bonded immediately with Roza over their shared language and heritage before she vanished.

Key Relationships

Neighbor of Finn O' Sullivan

Friend of Roza

Miguel is a teenager in Bone Gap and serves as Finn's most loyal confidant. He frequently helps Finn with physical labor while offering advice about relationships and local gossip. He struggles with his own insecurities regarding his skin color, which makes him hesitate to pursue his romantic interests.

Key Relationships

Best Friend of Finn O' Sullivan

Crush of Amber Hass

Honorata is a Polish immigrant who shared a college dormitory with Roza. Harboring deep insecurities about her own worth, she masks her low self-esteem by belittling other girls and assuming Roza is inherently vain. She remains trapped in a relationship with a misogynistic student who treats her poorly.

Key Relationships

Former Roommate of Roza

Girlfriend of Bob

Jonas serves as the town sheriff in Bone Gap. He dismisses Finn's earnest attempts to report sightings of Roza's kidnapper, suggesting the teenager might be under the influence of drugs. He represents the broader town's tendency to judge individuals based on superficial impressions rather than listening to them.

Key Relationships

Skeptical Authority Figure to Finn O' Sullivan

Didi is the easily distracted mother of Sean and Finn. Following the tragic death of her husband, she sought connection through online dating and eventually moved to Oregon. Her departure forced her older son to abandon his personal ambitions to raise his younger brother.

Key Relationships

Mother of Sean O'Sullivan

Widow of Hugh

Hugh worked as a truck driver and served as the devoted father of Sean and Finn. He acted as the steady, grounding force for his easily distracted wife before his life ended abruptly in a work-related accident.

Key Relationships

Husband of Didi

Father of Sean O'Sullivan

Mel is a local beekeeper raising her teenage daughter alone following her husband's departure. She maintains an open, sex-positive household and actively encourages Finn's romantic interest in her daughter, playfully teasing the two teenagers when they spend time together.

Key Relationships

Babcia is Roza's wise grandmother who remains in Poland. She encouraged her granddaughter to seek independence and personal growth rather than relying on the attention of men, instilling a profound sense of inner resilience that Roza calls upon during her captivity.

Key Relationships

Grandmother of Roza

Amber is a conventionally pretty teenager living in Bone Gap. She maintains a close friendship with Petey despite the town's rigid social expectations. Her presence causes anxiety for Miguel, who fears her family's judgment.

Key Relationships

Rus is a massive, wolf-like dog kept by the Scare Crow. Initially violent toward Roza during an escape attempt, the animal slowly forms a quiet attachment to the captive woman as she spends more time outdoors.

Key Relationships

Companion to Roza

Guard Dog for Scare Crow

Night is an expensive, majestic black horse that unexpectedly arrives at Finn's home. The powerful animal possesses an otherworldly quality and inadvertently causes an accident when Finn attempts to ride it without proper equipment.

Key Relationships

Calamity is Finn's domestic pet cat. She temporarily goes missing from the O'Sullivan property, causing Finn considerable distress, before safely returning to the house with a sudden litter of kittens.

Key Relationships