The novel depicts many kinds of loss, ranging from the death of a spouse to the loss of one’s culture and heritage (e.g. the Black Hills, which were sacred to the Sioux before being claimed by the US government). However, it’s the death of Sal’s mother and the disappearance of Phoebe’s that drive the novel’s two main storylines, prompting Sal’s journey to Idaho and Phoebe’s search for the “lunatic” she believes played a role in Mrs. Winterbottom’s departure. Meanwhile, Ben’s absent mother provides yet another variation on the theme of parental loss; although Mrs. Finney is neither missing nor dead, her mental illness turns her into a different person—one who can’t take an active role in her son’s life. Similarly, while Mrs. Winterbottom eventually returns, she does so as a woman Phoebe no longer easily recognizes as her mother.

The fact that these literal or symbolic losses all take place during adolescence is significant; Creech suggests that parental loss is an inevitable and ultimately necessary function of growing up. That loss doesn’t necessarily take the form of death, but because coming to grips with mortality is itself part of becoming an adult, Sugar Hiddle’s death does serve that relatively straightforward purpose in her daughter’s development: The experience of losing her mother gives Sal a new and more mature

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