The Shape of Thunder

Quinn is a seventh-grade student who lives in a small town in Ohio. Quinn is a daydreamer who struggles academically. She excels at art and loves to play soccer. Quinn’s older brother, Parker, murdered three people before killing himself the previous year at his high school. Quinn struggles to cope with her overwhelming feelings of grief after Parker’s death. She also struggles with overwhelming feelings of hatred toward Parker for what he did, and guilt for not intervening before the shooting. Quinn is a pariah at school after what happened. Her isolation and grief are exacerbated by the fact that one of Parker’s victims was Mabel—Quinn’s best friend and neighbor, Cora’s, older sister. Cora doesn’t talk to Quinn anymore.

Quinn and Cora repair their friendship through a joint mission to time travel back to change the events of the shooting. Although their attempts are unsuccessful, their plan succeeds in bringing the girls a sense of hope and in repairing their friendship. By the end of the novel, Quinn manages to find a semblance of peace and begins to heal by acknowledging the duality of her feelings of hatred and love for her brother.

Mabel, Cora’s beloved older sister, died before the events of The Shape of Thunder begin. Mabel is referred to frequently in the memories and conversations of her younger sister, Cora, who grieves Mabel’s death and wishes that she could turn back time to bring Mabel back. Mabel was beginning to experiment with makeup and forming crushes on her classmates. Mabel became more withdrawn than usual from Cora before her death, as she experienced teenage thoughts and feelings that she felt that her younger sister would not understand.

Parker, Quinn’s older brother, died by suicide before the events of The Shape of Thunder begin. His actions continue to devastate his family and community in the year after the shooting. Parker became increasingly angry and withdrawn in the final months of his life. He was finding community in radicalized online groups, which preached sexism, racism, and other forms of hatred. This hatred found expression in Parker’s decision to shoot three people: two fellow students, including Mabel, a teacher, and finally, himself.

Mr. Hamed is a loving and attentive father to Cora. He is Lebanese and emigrated to America as a young adult, where he met Mabel and Cora’s mother. The girls’ mother left when they were young. He raises his daughter with the help of his mother-in-law, Grams. Cora’s Dad is a biology professor and lecturer at the local university.

Mr. Hamed struggles with his own grief at the loss of his eldest daughter, Mabel, throughout The Shape of Thunder. He navigates this while also caring for the wellbeing of his remaining daughter, Cora. Cora’s dad connects with her in her grief through frequent and loving check-ins. He is not afraid of having difficult conversations, and he demonstrates humility and willingness to change when he discovers that he is not doing enough to support Cora through her grief or through her struggles with her Lebanese identity. Through these behaviors, Cora’s dad is characterized as a positive role model and a supportive father.

Grams, Cora’s maternal grandmother, supports Cora through her grief through a tough love approach. Grams is a straight talker who is unafraid of talking to Cora about her avoidance of Quinn. She encourages Cora to reconnect with Quinn, despite the devastation of Quinn’s brother Parker having murdered Cora’s sister, Mabel.

Grams also doesn’t allow Cora to be evasive about her grief but insists on knowing how Cora is doing in regards to her grief. Grams insists on talking openly about Mabel. Toward the end of the novel, Grams suggests that it is time for Cora to pack Mabel’s things away from their previously shared bedroom. This constructive suggestion allows Cora to continue to work toward a sense of closure.

Mrs. McCauley, Quinn’s mom, struggles immensely in the year after her son, Parker, murdered three people and killed himself. She used to work but quit her job and became obsessed with cooking complicated meals. Throughout The Shape of Thunder, Quinn’s mom continually argues with her husband, Quinn’s dad, about who was at fault for Parker’s tragic actions.

Jasmine Warga illustrates that Parker’s mom was afraid of engaging in difficult but productive dialogue with her son as he became increasingly angry, withdrawn, and hateful toward minorities. This tendency of avoidance continues to play out in her relationship with Quinn in the year after Parker’s death. Quinn’s mom shuts down Quinn’s attempts to talk about Parker. Quinn insists that she wants the family to be able to engage in difficult conversations. Quinn’s mother placatingly agrees that they will, which shows that she is learning from Quinn’s example that open discussion, even around challenging conversations, is an essential part of parenting.