Jar of Hearts

The murder of Angela Wong is the crime at the heart of much of the novel. The events surrounding it and its aftermath inform the book’s central themes and character arcs. As in many thriller crime novels, the identity of Angela’s killer is not in question. Rather, Angela’s murder is attributed to Calvin in Chapter 1, and suspense is then built around the threat he poses to society and to the protagonist after he escapes from prison. Part 4, however, sows the seeds of a plot twist that introduces an element of the mystery subgenre of crime fiction. 

Typically in this subgenre, a crime is revealed but the protagonist must work to discover who committed it. The novel’s characterization of Calvin frames Kaiser, Kim, and Geo’s assumption that Calvin is responsible for the latest four murders as reasonable (and encourages the reader to assume the same), but there are clues that cast doubt on this conclusion. One such clue is Part 4’s epigraph, which reads, “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact” (223). The similarities between Calvin’s older crimes and the latest murders, along with the plethora of evidence connecting the new victims and crime scenes to Geo and Calvin, make Calvin’s guilt the kind of “obvious fact” that the epigraph warns of. This complicates the conflict between Kaiser and the unknown killer. In earlier chapters, he cautioned himself not to assume Calvin’s involvement because it could obscure important details. Despite this, for a time, he is deceived by what seems like overwhelming—though circumstantial—evidence pointing toward Calvin. 

Moreover, in the midst of the clues that another killer might be involved, this section also brings with it red herrings—obvious but ultimately deceptive facts—meant to mislead the reader. Kim questions what motive Calvin would have to kill his own children, but Kaiser’s flashback to Calvin’s sentencing offers an answer, as Calvin tells Kaiser, “People like me shouldn’t exist” (245). Given the book’s gestures toward the idea that criminality might be hereditary—e.g., descriptions of Emily’s violent behavior at age two—Calvin may have surmised that his offspring would become killers like him. His belief that people like him shouldn’t exist gives him a possible motive to kill them, keeping the reader in suspense. Moreover, the suggestion that Calvin’s children may have inherited his violent tendencies resonates with the novel’s themes, providing a symbolic illustration of The Enduring Trauma of Violent Crimes across generations. This also encourages the reader to interpret Calvin as speaking about his children and thus to accept him as the killer (though the killer’s actual identity also works in tandem with the theme). 

Developments in Geo and Kaiser’s relationship in Part 4 are important to their character arcs. The effects of Kaiser’s epiphany regarding what happened to Geo in their junior year influence his arc more substantially in Part 5. In Part 4, however, he begins to recognize how his life will change now that he’s starting an actual relationship with Geo after being in love with her—and believing her forever out of his reach—for 22 years. His ability to find love has always been hindered by his inability to get over Geo: “Georgina is the woman he’s loved since he was fourteen, and nothing—no amount of years, distance, or criminal activity—can make that disappear” (246). His relationship with Kim, for example, was never fulfilling because he could never be fully invested. In fact, until recently, he was unsure if he was even “capable of really loving anyone anymore” (58). This inability to love represents the internal conflict he must overcome in his character arc. That he is deeply committed to Geo signifies his transformation. 

As for Geo, seeing Andrew with his new wife and kids helps her recognize her own flaw when it comes to romance. She tells Kaiser, “[I]t made me realize that he wasn’t for me. That I was chasing the wrong thing. I’ve always chased the wrong thing” (182). This recognition allows her to see all that Kaiser has to offer, including the unconditional love and forgiveness she needs to work through The Psychological Weight of Guilt and Secrets and find happiness. Moreover, in his selflessness and compassion, Kaiser is Calvin’s virtual opposite. Having illustrated the effects of Manipulation and Control in Abusive Relationships, the novel thus sets up Kaiser and Geo’s relationship as an example of what a healthy partnership looks like.