Award categories built to spark arguments (in a good way).
Most Likely to Haunt You Long After You Finish the Book
Winner: Barbara Van Laar
Because she's thirteen, brilliant, alone, and you'll spend the entire novel wondering if she's in danger or if she's finally free.
Close second: Bear — his absence shapes everyone's choices, even fourteen years later.
Is Barbara's disappearance a tragedy or the only escape route she had?
Character You'd Most Want to Shake and Yell 'Wake Up!'
Winner: Alice Van Laar
She's so consumed by losing Bear that she's letting Barbara disappear in slow motion right in front of her.
Close second: Peter — for prioritizing the family reputation over his actual family.
Is Alice a victim of grief or complicit in Barbara's neglect?
Most Likely to Be Underestimated by Everyone in the Room
Winner: Judy Luptack
She's young, female, and constantly doubted — which is exactly why she's the only one asking the right questions.
Close second: Barbara, whose survival skills are mistaken for rebellion.
Does being underestimated give you an advantage in finding the truth?
Best Example of 'Money Can't Buy Happiness But It Can Buy Silence'
Winner: The Van Laar family
They own the town, the camp, the narrative — and they've used all of it to bury what really happened.
Close second: The framed gardener who died before he could defend himself.
How much of this mystery is about crime and how much is about who gets to decide what's true?
Most Justified in Walking Away Forever
Winner: Barbara Van Laar
She's neglected, dismissed, about to be shipped off to boarding school — and she's 13. What reason does she have to stay?
Close second: Louise, who could quit her job and let someone else deal with the Van Laar drama.
If your family makes you invisible, is leaving survival or betrayal?
Character Whose Silence Says More Than Their Words
Winner: Tracy
She knows Barbara snuck out every night. What else does she know — and why isn't she telling?
Close second: Alice, who goes oddly quiet when Barbara disappears.
Is Tracy protecting Barbara's secret, or is she afraid of implicating herself?
Most Likely to Be the Hero of This Story (Whether Anyone Admits It)
Winner: Judy Luptack
She's the only one brave enough to reopen Bear's cold case and connect it to Barbara's disappearance.
Close second: Louise, who risks her livelihood by telling the truth.
Is Judy a hero if solving the case destroys the town's economy?
Best Representation of 'The Perfect Child Ruins It for Everyone Else'
Winner: Bear Van Laar
He was so adored, so talented, so universally loved that Barbara never stood a chance.
Close second: Barbara, who learned to be the opposite of perfect because perfection was already taken.
Did Bear's memory doom Barbara, or was the family already incapable of loving her?
Character Most Trapped by Their Own Choices
Winner: Alice Van Laar
She married Peter at 18, stayed through his abuse, and then lost the only person who made it bearable. Now she's too medicated to escape.
Close second: Peter, who's so committed to the family legacy that he can't see he's destroying it.
Is Alice trapped by circumstance or by her refusal to choose Barbara?
Most Suspicious Behavior Disguised as Normal
Winner: Peter Van Laar
His calm, controlled response to Barbara's disappearance feels less like shock and more like damage control.
Close second: Alice's detachment — is she numb from grief or hiding something?
When a parent is eerily calm during a crisis, is that trauma or guilt?
Character Who Deserved Better From Everyone
Winner: Barbara Van Laar
She was born into a family still mourning her brother, raised by a mother who couldn't love her and a father who wanted her gone.
Close second: The framed gardener who was blamed for Bear's disappearance and died before his name could be cleared.
Is Barbara a victim of her family or a survivor who outsmarted them?
Best Example of 'Class Warfare Hidden Under Polite Smiles'
Winner: The Van Laars vs. Shattuck
The town depends on the family for jobs, but everyone knows the Van Laars are hiding something.
Close second: Louise, who works for the family but resents everything they represent.
If your town's economy depends on one family, can you ever afford to hold them accountable?
Most Likely to Have Seen This Coming
Winner: Tracy
She watched Barbara sneak out every night. She knew something was going to happen.
Close second: Louise, who knew Barbara was a 'problem child' the Van Laars wanted gone.
If you saw the warning signs, are you responsible for what happens next?
Character Most Likely to Rewrite History to Protect Themselves
Winner: Peter Van Laar
He's already done it once with Bear's case. He'll do it again with Barbara if he can.
Close second: Alice, who rewrites her marriage as a love story to avoid facing the truth.
Is rewriting the past self-preservation or self-deception?
Most Relatable Coping Mechanism That's Also Deeply Unhealthy
Winner: Alice's pills and alcohol
When grief is unbearable, numbing yourself is sometimes the only way through — even if it destroys you.
Close second: Barbara's rebellion, which is less about acting out and more about testing if anyone notices she's alive.
Is self-medication a survival tactic or a slow form of self-destruction?
