Jar of Hearts

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness and death, emotional abuse, physical abuse, rape, substance use, and sexual content.

In prison, Geo’s been out of maximum security for the last three years. She’s now within days of completing her sentence and being released. A woman nicknamed Boney, who is Ella’s main rival for drug sales, threatens Geo and Ella’s family over a “turf” dispute. Geo’s best friend in prison, Cat Bonaducci, has stage-four cancer. Geo helps take care of her now that chemotherapy has left her too sick to fend for herself and her husband filed for divorce. Geo also has a sexual relationship with a young corrections officer. He’s in love, but for Geo, it’s just a way to survive. Geo sees a news report about two bodies found near her childhood home, which she knows means that Calvin is back.

The narrative flashes back to the day Geo meets Calvin at age 16. She’s with Angela and Kaiser, and he’s drinking beer in a 7-Eleven parking lot with three other guys. When Calvin pays less attention to Angela than to Geo, Angela gets jealous. He invites them to see his friend’s band play the next night.