Economic Disparity

The author uses the characters in the two plots in the narrative and the setting of a small town to illustrate the existence of economic disparity in today’s world. One plot, that dealing with the death of Gina, focuses on the well-to-do members of the town. Gina owns a bank. Margot has her own financial services business. Lucy and her husband have a successful car dealership. Both of David’s businesses, his bug extermination business and his doughnut shop, are successful. Justin has a successful business and will inherit from Gina. A doctor and a politician are also suspects in the murder.

The plot concerning the altered Barbie dolls focuses on the people in town who struggle to earn enough money to eat and in doing so, highlights the extent of the economic disparity that exists in the town. The only reason Jesse and...