Jar of Hearts

Jar of Hearts takes place in a semi-fictionalized Seattle, Washington—the same fictionalized world that Hillier uses for her other stand-alone novels—that includes places like the Sweetbay area and Puget Sound State University. Hazelwood Correctional Institute is also fictional, though Hillier based it on aspects of several real-life prisons she researched. The setting of the Sweetbay area interacts with the plot in significant ways later in the novel as more bodies are discovered buried in its woods. 

In Part 1, “Hellwood” prison is more central to the story, especially as it influences and changes Geo’s character. Many of Geo’s internal and external conflicts revolve around the question of whether she suffers enough for her crimes. From everyday discomforts to brutalities and terror, prison life is depicted as a much more severe punishment than Geo’s denouncers realize. In comparison to what they see of prisons on television, Geo says, “The reality of prison—the bleakness of it, the sameness of it, the unrelenting fear of getting attacked—is horrific” (22). In fact, all new inmates are on suicide watch due to the depressing nature of their environment. There is meaningful irony at play as well. Geo’s counselor says that she’ll be safer in maximum security because there are more security guards, but as Geo notes, “[M]ore guards don’t make it safer, especially when you’re sleeping in a crowded space where everyone’s in a shitty mood, especially the guards” (22). She’s sexually assaulted on her third night without anyone intervening on her behalf, and she later engages in a sexual relationship with a corrections officer for the small comforts that come with it. Geo has to make certain choices to survive in prison. These choices develop an external conflict—her fight for self-preservation—and portray compartmentalization as one means to achieve it. This also helps characterize Geo; as more details about her past emerge, it becomes clear that she relies heavily on such compartmentalization to cope with day-to-day life.

Another aspect of setting, time, is central to the story’s structure. The dramatic present begins 14 years after Angela’s murder, but the story bounces back and forth between the past and present. These flashbacks go as far back as Geo’s first day of high school and as recent as Geo’s arrest. They constitute a significant portion of the text, making use of a technique called temporal variation, in which the chronological flow of time is manipulated. Flashbacks are a common example. Hillier integrates her flashbacks into the narrative so thoroughly in Jar of Hearts that she creates another type of temporal variation: a nonlinear narrative. This gives the author more control over when certain plot details are revealed, which allows her to create suspense and intrigue (for this reason, nonlinear narratives are particularly common in the thriller genre). The novel’s structure also develops the theme of The Enduring Trauma of Violent Crimes by placing scenes from the past and present in close proximity, suggesting their interrelationship.

Though the opening chapter depicts Calvin’s trial, his crimes as the Sweetbay Strangler are not the point of the story. In fact, other than the murder of Angela, his killings receive little focus. Kaiser reveals how the police connected Calvin to three murders after Angela’s, but the narrative purpose of alluding to these murders is not to delve into Calvin’s criminal history. Rather, the purpose is to create stakes: to make it clear that he’s dangerous and that there may be dire consequences if he isn’t apprehended. These additional murders also create guilt for Geo, who knows she’s partially responsible because of her silence after Calvin killed Angela. The Psychological Weight of Guilt and Secrets has profound effects on her life and character arc.