The Shape of Thunder

In a note to her brother, Parker, Quinn remembers a time Parker cried after helping her down from a tree. Quinn reflects that she hasn’t heard back from Cora about the box that she left on her stoop three days earlier on Cora’s birthday.

At school, Quinn goes to the library, a place where she spends a lot of her time. She no longer has friends at school after what happened last November.

Quinn scans the internet for information on her theory; she hopes that she can turn back time to before last November and change the course of events. In a scientific article, she sees the word “possible” in relation to time travel and she feels thrilled and excited (27).

Cora spends time with her friends Owen and Mia. They practice for Junior Quiz Bowl, a highly competitive trivia game that is played in teams. Cora has romantic feelings for Owen, and she suspects that Mia knows. Owen asks Cora how her birthday went, and Cora thinks about how the three of them became friends in second grade. She remembers feeling special that Owen shared his Japanese name, Daisuke, with her.

On their way out of the school, Cora, Owen, and Mia spot Quinn standing in front of Cora’s locker. Quinn talks to Cora, saying that she has found a way to fix things through time travel. Cora curtly tells her that nothing can be fixed and leaves with Mia and Owen.

In a note to her brother, Parker, Quinn reveals that their parents are always fighting, mostly about whose fault it was that Parker did what he did. Quinn’s mother blames Quinn’s father for his gun collection. Quinn blames herself. She writes in her note that she was the only one who “saw [Parker]. [She] should have said something, but [she] didn’t” (45).

Quinn takes a shortcut through the woods to reach her home after school because she finds the woods calming. Quinn has learned that wormholes to the past are more likely to appear in ancient places with history and she feels that the woods are an ancient place. Quinn remembers a time that she climbed a tree too high, and her brother climbed up to help her down. She visits the tree and tells the forest that she’s not okay.

Cora does her math homework while her father makes dinner. Grams encourages Cora to open the box from Quinn. They argue about it for a while until Cora relents, going upstairs to open the box.

Quinn tells her brother, in a letter, that she keeps asking the same questions because she is unsatisfied with the answers. Quinn’s mother is making a complex dinner, as she tends to do since she quit her job. Her mom requests that she taste her cooking, and Quinn assures her that the sauce she is making is delicious. Quinn’s father is spending long hours at his job. Quinn tells her mother that school was fine, hoping to assure her mother that she doesn’t need to worry about her.

Mia invites Cora to stay after school with her and Owen as they research trivia facts for Quiz Bowl. Cora says that she would, but that she can’t stay after school that day. Privately, she reflects that she is not staying because she wants to talk to Quinn. She finds Quinn on the sidewalk outside the athletic fields and they chat about the contents of the box: articles on time travel. Cora says that more research needs to be conducted because the articles are more like summaries. Quinn smiles, interpreting this as Cora’s agreement to be involved in the project. Cora clarifies that she shouldn’t be talking to Quinn. Cora is shocked when Quinn asks, “Because of what Parker did? Because he’s the reason Mabel’s dead?” (72). Cora reflects that people usually talk about Mabel more euphemistically, instead of voicing what really happened to her. When Cora agrees, Quinn clarifies that they don’t have to be friends. Quinn says that Cora would be helping her save Mabel, rather than demonstrating friendship toward Quinn. As Cora tries to make up her mind, Quinn asks to show her something.

In a letter to her brother, Quinn tells Parker that Cupcake, their cat, misses him. Quinn leads Cora into the woods. Cora asks where they are going, Quinn explains that she wants to show her a place she’s found that would be good for the time machine. Cora says that time machines are not practical and that most of the articles referenced wormholes. Quinn clarifies that a time machine is a way to find a wormhole. Quinn leads Cora a big oak tree where she thinks the bark has a knot that looks like an eyeball and its branches spread out in every direction. She explains that she feels that it could be a wormhole. Cora begins describing a plan to explore the idea scientifically. Quinn’s mind wanders as she imagines seeing her brother again. The girls look up as a flock of birds flies overhead, and Cora begins sharing facts about how humans are trained to hear birds because they lead humans to water, and how humans naturally favor life. Suddenly, Cora starts crying. She leaves quickly, telling Quinn that she can’t be involved in the plan, and that the plan is insane.