Bob

The importance of family connections takes many forms throughout the novel. That Gran and Livy’s relationship is potentially hindered by the physical distance that separates their homes is apparent when Livy has difficulty remembering details from her earlier trip. Livy knows that Gran worries she has stayed away too long and that forging a bond between her and Gran becomes increasingly difficult the longer they remain apart. That Livy is anxious and unable to sleep when she is apart from her parents indicates that she is close to them and that they have a warm, caring connection. By the same token, however, this suggests that Livy has difficulty trusting or becoming comfortable around new people. She is initially shy and awkward around Sarah, despite being assured that she and Sarah enjoyed one another’s company on Livy’s last visit.

Livy’s mother recognizes that the distance between Australia and Massachusetts serves as an obstacle to Livy and Gran forming a close connection. Livy’s mother makes certain that Livy speaks with Gran often on the phone for this reason, and she takes special steps to assist Livy in forging a bond with Gran’s home. Her mother shows her the well that her father built, acquaints Livy with the animals, and introduces Livy to Gran’s neighbors at the local restaurant. Livy warms to both Gran and Sarah quickly, thanks to each character’s reliance on the things that they bonded over previously to reforge the relationship with Livy. During her stay, Livy witnesses the strong friendship Gran and her mother possess with their neighbors, as evidenced by the fun they have talking and laughing over dinner in the restaurant with Sarah and her mother and by the care Sarah’s grandfather takes in delivering the news of the possible foreclosure to Gran. The neighbors help Gran cope with this difficulty, and she, in turn, proves to be reliable and caring when she participates in the search for Danny when he is missing.

Indeed, Bob observes the safety Livy experiences from her mother’s hugs and snuggling, which makes him long for a mother of his own. The eagerness with which he awaited Livy’s return indicates how lonely he felt upon her absence. He found himself passing the time using what distractions were available to him—the partial chess set, the dictionary, the Lego set—but never lost focus on Livy and her promise to return. While his friendship with Livy makes Bob’s life rich and meaningful, his desire to return to his family outweighs his desire to spend time with Livy. Though he is not certain whether he has a family or not, Bob seems to know on an instinctive level that he must have some sort of tie to other beings like him. Indeed, the enthusiasm and extreme joy Bob expresses when he is reunited with his mother indicate how important she is to him. The love Bob’s mother holds for him is also evident in the steps she takes to prevent Bob from escaping from the well network again in the future by seizing the pawn from Livy. Though the friendship between Livy and Bob is a meaningful one, Bob cannot live among both Livy and his family, as he forgets the well when he strays from it. In the end, both family ties and friendship are important, though they serve different purposes. The novel illustrates that, via the black pawn, Livy will not forget Bob as she did previously, and in this way, their friendship can remain alive despite their physical distance from one another.