Barbara

Barbara is one of the main characters in the novel. It is her disappearance that opens the novel. She is described as being nonconventional. She dresses differently from the other campers, and this makes her a point of interest for them. She quickly befriends Tracy at camp.

Barbara is impulsive. She shows this in numerous ways including when she kisses Lowell even though she knows Tracy likes him. Despite her impulsiveness that both her parents and her therapists see, her most notable move, running away from home, is not a matter of impulse but rather is carefully planned out over a length of time.

She comes from a family of people who promote self-sufficiency but who lack any semblance of independence. Her family relies on other people to care for them. Barbara, however, shows herself to be self-reliant. She learns all she needs to in order to take...