Heart-Shaped Box

Jude is the dynamic and round protagonist of Heart-Shaped Box. Jude is a retired rock star who lives on a secluded farm in upstate New York with his dogs, Angus and Bon; assistant, Danny Wooten; and a rotation of younger girlfriends, his latest being Marybeth “Georgia” Kimball. He collects macabre items, an interest that instigates Craddock McDermott’s haunting through Jessica Price’s auctioned suit and positions him to accept that the haunting is real. He begins the novel as a selfish man, a trait that stems from unresolved trauma surrounding his abusive, dying father and the deaths of his bandmates, one of whom died by suicide and the other from AIDS. Furthermore, Jude objectifies his girlfriends as he does his macabre collection, giving them nicknames based on their state of origin to create distance. When he and Georgia (Marybeth) discuss banishing Craddock’s ghost, he wants to do so alone, partially to protect his girlfriend and partially to retain distance. While misogynistic, he has moments of empathy and exhibits guilt upon learning that his former girlfriend Anna “Florida” Price allegedly died by suicide after their breakup.

Overall, Jude’s journey comprises seeing Georgia as Marybeth and learning from her selfless vulnerability.