My Sister's Grave

As the protagonist of My Sister’s Grave, Tracy is a round and dynamic character whose 20-year journey is driven by an unyielding search for truth. Her character arc is defined by her struggle with The Lifelong Burden of Guilt and Unresolved Grief, which she ultimately transforms into a source of strength. Initially a high school chemistry teacher, Tracy’s life is irrevocably altered when her sister, Sarah, disappears. Believing that she failed to protect Sarah, Tracy abandons her teaching career and dedicates herself to becoming a homicide detective, a profession that allows her to channel her obsessive need for justice. Her guilt is the primary engine of the narrative, straining her marriage to her ex-husband, Ben, who feels like she is “cheating on him” with Sarah’s memory (83), and shaping her isolated, work-focused existence in Seattle. The narrative frequently returns to the day of the shooting competition, reinforcing the source of her guilt: her anger at Sarah for letting her win and her willingness to let Sarah drive home alone. This relentless focus on the past makes her a vessel for the novel’s exploration of how grief can become a formative, and often destructive, life force.