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| Plot Summary of The Rag and Bone Shop |
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"A 7-year-old girl named Alicia has been brutally murdered -- pounded in the head with a rock -- in the woods near Monument, Massachusetts. Twelve-year-old Jason Dorrant, a friend of Alicia's, is the prime suspect because he was the last person known to have seen her alive, although there's no physical evidence to tie him to the crime. There's heavy pressure to arrest a suspect, partly because the victim was a friend of Senator Gibbons's daughter, so the local police bring in Trent, a Vermont detective with a reputation as a crack interrogator who always lands a confession.
Trent is undeniably good, and a confession will surely advance his career with the help of Senator Gibbons. But Trent also despises himself because he may be TOO good at getting people to admit guilt, even when they may not be guilty. In his mind he can hear the warnings of his wife Lottie, sadly killed in an auto accident 18 months before, as he works on Jason. Most of the story consists of Trent's careful and sympathetic questioning of the boy in order to land a confession. This novel was Cormier's final book, completed shortly before his death."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Rag and Bone Shop |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Moderately Challenging
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards family/friends
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a lot
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Small town?
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 2
Unusual forms of death
- blunt clubbing (like seals)
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Click here for more information about this book
Robert Cormier Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 David Loftus
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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