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Ginny changes radically in the novel. In the beginning, she is meek and mild. Ginny cares for and defers to her aging father. She also cares for her sister, who is recovering from breast surgery, along with her husband and two nieces. Readers learn about Ginny slowly as she tells stories about her past and the farm itself. She seems to have a good marriage and a good life. However, in Chapter 4, Ginny reveals a crack in her exterior when she admits that she’s had five miscarriages, not the three her husband knows about. She knows how to lead two parallel lives, a curious detail for someone so controlled and calm. Ginny has buried evidence under a dirt floor, evidence that Ty will dig up much later in the plot. The crack widens when Rose helps her unearth her memory of Larry’s abuse. It widens even more when Ginny kisses and then has sex with Jess Clark. As the lawsuit unfolds, Ginny leaves her calm, cool younger self behind. Her anger at her sister moves her to plan violence toward her by poisoning sausages and giving them to her. When Ginny drives to St. Paul with only $1,000 to her name, it’s as if she’s turned into someone completely new. Ginny redeems herself when she confesses to Rose and then disposes of the sausages, but she can never revert to who she was when she was younger. Now that Ginny has felt such anger, shame, regret, and passion, she truly is a different person—more resilient, confident, and independent.

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