The Caretaker: A Novel

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, child death, and mental illness.

“Caretaking was a duty to the living and the dead. That was what Wilkie, the previous caretaker, had taught Blackburn.”

These words become a refrain that Blackburn repeats to motivate him to carry out his work with honor and respect. Through his job as a cemetery caretaker, he is able to observe how others mourn and grieve. This passage reflects the book’s title, pointing toward Blackburn’s role as a caretaker to the living and the dead throughout the novel.

“Infatuation, his mother called it. His father had said the same, adding that Jacob was merely trying to vex them. If it were true, they’d deserved it. Jacob had been so tired of his parents deciding every aspect of his life. Sending him to Blowing Rock’s schools, telling him how to speak, whom to be friends with and date, nagging him into college, and even after a summer proving himself at the sawmill, trying to make him re-enroll. And marrying Naomi, wanting to decide that too, as if being unable to shape his sisters’ lives gave his parents the right to make Jacob into exactly what they wanted.”

Jacob’s parents value acceptance by others amid their social and economic class above all else, illustrating The Dangers of Prioritizing Appearance Over Truth. As Jacob became an adult, he realized that he does not share these values. Instead, he longs for independence and the freedom to make his own choices.

“The tape lay coiled like a snake ready to strike. Two of Cora and Daniel’s children were already in Laurel Fork Cemetery. Now, if a third. The office closed in 15 minutes, excuse enough not to forward the telegram, but to show the Hamptons the message first was a federal crime. Nevertheless, wouldn’t a worse crime be having the girl know before Jacob’s parents?

Get it over with, Parson told himself. He lifted the tape, read, and sighed in relief. Seriously injured, but alive. He read the tape again. If this were his son, wouldn’t this be good news?”

Here, Ben Parson deliberates as to whether to break the law by informing the Hamptons of Jacob’s injuries before informing Naomi. Ben desires to make an ethical choice but recognizes that the situation is fraught with moral ambiguity. Ultimately, his decision sets into motion the lies that impact the lives of many people, though this is not Ben’s intent.