Beautiful Graves

Ever is the 24-year-old female protagonist of the novel. Her character arc is focused on self-discovery, healing from trauma, and embracing life. She admits early on that “as far as rebellious acts go, [she’s] aggressively boring” (8). Although this statement creates a lighthearted tone in the midst of the scene, it also foreshadows her future tendency toward extreme avoidance. After the accidental death of her mother, for which she blames herself, Ever begins Running From Guilt and Shame in almost every aspect of her life. Believing herself to be responsible for her mother’s tragic mishap, she puts physical distance between herself and the memories that cause her such pain, fleeing her hometown altogether and moving to Boston and then later to Salem, Massachusetts. This new setting becomes “[her] cloak” where she can hide from a world that she believes has no use for her. Her self-punishment soon infiltrates her everyday life, and she deliberately forces herself to take jobs that she dislikes. For example, she works at a tour company that forces her to speak to people all day, going against her introverted tendencies. She also has no social life outside of her cat, Loki, and her roommate, Nora.