The Face on the Milk Carton

Janie’s neighbor and love interest resents his reputation as an underachiever in a family of academic stars. Reeve wants “to be brilliant, outstanding, impressive, and memorable, like his brother and sisters,” but does not earn good grades until his senior year (18). Although Reeve acts flirtatiously with several girls, he becomes serious about Janie over the course of the novel. He supports Janie as she processes her kidnapping, offering advice and help even when she dismisses it.

By helping Janie investigate her kidnapping, Reeve advances the plot of the novel. He also causes Janie to grow as a character. As they spend time together, Janie learns a lesson about treating people well: “What mattered to Reeve,” she realizes, “is what matters to everyone. Being first in somebody’s life” (169). 

Janie’s image-conscious and energetic mother hides the pain of losing her daughter, Hannah, behind a flurry of volunteerism. Miranda dedicates her time to a hospital and various charities, meticulously organizing her efforts. Janie thinks of her as a “dedicated, formal, elegant committeewoman” whose competence Janie finds reassuring (162). Miranda approaches parenting with the same emphasis on routine and order. Miranda seeks to control her diet as well as Janie’s, cooking homemade meals and applauding Janie’s restraint when she resists junk food. Friends and neighbors recognize Miranda’s discipline. Mrs. Shields tells Janie that Miranda “was the strictest parent” when Janie was young (30).

Although she practices rigid self-control, Miranda’s empathy touches Janie and pushes the novel’s plot to its cliffhanger conclusion. Miranda dials the Springs’ number to finally connect Janie with her birth family: “A mother,” she says through tears, “would need to hear her baby’s voice” (184). Miranda’s act softens the portrayal of her character.

Janie’s father typifies the “after-school athlete” (162). A good-natured accountant and soccer coach, he affectionately engages with Janie and Miranda. He jokes about “kick[ing] soccer balls around Janie’s feet” and teases Miranda about her diet. Frank’s playfulness exists alongside a desire to protect his family: “I like my little girl to stay little,” he tells Janie. “I’m against all this growing up” (2). Occasionally, Frank expresses deep feelings. When he introduces Janie to his soccer team, for instance, “the pride in his voice swamped [Janie]” (137). He expresses emotion at the other end of the spectrum when Janie scares him by driving to New Jersey with Reeve. “Her father stared at the wall,” the narrator says, “his jaw clenched to prevent weeping” (124). Like Miranda, Frank’s exterior conceals vulnerability ingrained by the loss of his daughter, Hannah.

Frank and Miranda’s daughter looms large in the novel despite never appearing in its present day. She exists in the memories of Miranda, Frank, and Janie, so her characterization is subject to their interpretations. “An unusual child,” Hannah feels “horrified” by “the inequities of life” (83). She becomes a Hare Krishna at age 16 and kidnaps Janie during an unsuccessful attempt to leave the cult behind. Though Janie remembers laughing with Hannah and admiring her beautiful hair as a child, her judgment changes once Janie, at 15, learns of her kidnapping: “Hannah was the evil criminal,” Janie tells Reeve. Reeve offers a gentler judgment of Hannah: “I think she sounds like a scared, cult-blinded automaton,” (154). Because Hannah never speaks for herself in the novel, readers cannot know whether Janie or Reeve is correct.