When Crickets Cry: a Novel of the Heart

Emma, Reese’s deceased wife, was the love of Reese’s life. Best friends since they were young neighbors, the two fell in love and married in college. Emma was born with a hole in her heart, which only worsened as she grew older. Watching Emma struggle made Reese vow that he would one day fix her heart.

Emma serves as an archetype of biblical characters such as Job; despite her debilitating condition, which God allowed, Emma remained virtuous, kind, and hopeful about the future. A talented artist, she loved to paint or draw alongside Reese while he studied or rowed them around in their two-person boat. Reese notes that Annie, like Emma, is full of hope despite her limitations.

An outspoken and joyful little girl whom Reese describes as a tomboy, seven-year-old Annie has a hole in her heart and needs a transplant to survive—just as Emma did. Despite her slim chances, Annie sells lemonade and bait crickets to save money for surgery. Orphaned by her missionary parents, she lives with her Aunt Cindy.

Annie’s faith in God gives her hope. She tells Reese before her heart surgery that she knows that no matter whether she lives or dies, she will have a new heart: If she lives, she will have a new physical heart on Earth, but if she dies, she will receive a new heart in her heavenly body. Annie always wears a sandal pendant that her mother gave her. The pendant has a biblical verse etched on it, and thinking about this verse gives Annie hope. 

Cindy, Reese’s love interest, raises Annie after Annie’s parents, Cindy’s sister and brother-in-law, die while doing missionary work. Crippled by medical expenses, Cindy works at a local store and attempts to take out loans to pay for Annie’s health care. She loves Annie like her own daughter and sacrifices her personal life, working long hours to earn enough money to save Annie’s life.

When Reese first meets Cindy, although she looks disheveled and exhausted, he finds her beautiful anyway. The flicker of attraction between them grows brighter as the novel progresses. As Cindy and Reese unite to support Annie, their friendship deepens; by the end of the novel, it seems likely that Reese will pursue a romantic relationship with her. 

Charlie is Emma’s brother and Reese’s brother-in-law. When Emma was dying, Charlie slipped on her blood, fell, and struck his head; the injury caused him to go blind. Despite his blindness, he remains joyful, full of life, love, and jokes. He lives next to Reese and is Reese’s only companion. He is also the only person who knows Reese’s whereabouts and his true identity.

Charlie’s playfulness contrasts with Reese’s serious demeanor. While Reese acts serious, regretful, and reclusive, Charlie takes dance classes, builds and drives boats, and introduces himself to strangers, making friends easily. Charlie cracks Reese’s shell of despair, helping Reese find the strength to forgive himself and move forward. Charlie is a Christ figure; despite being wounded by Reese’s “sins,” he retains his good nature and forgives Reese.

Davis, aka “the Monk,” owns The Well, a bar that serves as one of the novel’s most important settings. He appears to Reese just as Reese appears to the other characters (aside from Charlie): as a man with a mysterious background. Davis sees his bar as a church in the truest sense. He believes he people who are “thirstiest” don’t tend to sit in pews. He decorates his bar with Christian accessories, like napkins printed with scripture, and takes it upon himself to water down the drinks of people who appear inebriated.

Davis’s unorthodox approach to converting people to Christianity is visible in his encounter with Termite, an underage drinker whom Davis, Reese, and Charlie view as a boy in need of redemption. Rather than banishing Termite from the bar, Davis serves him, and the three men try to help Termite see the error of his ways. Davis takes Termite’s hostility in stride, believing that resistance is a normal step on the path to redemption.