The Stonekeeper

The Stonekeeper opens on a hugely formative moment for Emily: Not only does she helplessly watch her dad die, but she also watches her mom make the difficult choice to physically let go of him in order to take care of Emily and Navin. While the rest of this graphic novel has no chapters or structural divisions, this scene is separated out as the Prologue because of how important it is in establishing Emily’s character at the beginning of the novel. She is scarred by watching her father’s death, which makes her vulnerable; she is also adapting to life without him. At the beginning of the Prologue, she is a happy and upbeat girl, but these traumatic events change her—she seems serious and detached after. She prefers to be by herself and has pulled away from her family, which is evident in her decision to explore the house alone rather than help her mom and brother clean. Her attitudinal shift has created conflict with her mom, and Emily is quick to question, complain, and criticize without thinking about others’ feelings. Emily’s impatient, abrasive attitude shows that she is still immature. Throughout this novel (and the rest of