Swallowing Stones

Joyce McDonald’s 1997 young adult novel Swallowing Stones follows the entangled lives of teens Michael MacKenzie and Jenna Ward after Michael’s impulsive gunfire into the air falls to earth and kills Jenna’s father. This novel deals with themes of grief, reputation, and consequences as the two main characters navigate the fallout of the tragic accident. Joyce McDonald has published eight books across the middle grade and young adult genres, each focusing on heavy themes like those of Swallowing Stones.

This guide follows the 2012 First Ember paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: Swallowing Stones contains depictions of gun violence.

Plot Summary

On Michael MacKenzie’s 17th birthday, also the Fourth of July, Michael takes his best friend, Joe, into the woods behind his house and shoots one round from his new Winchester rifle into the air. About a mile away, this bullet strikes Charlie Ward in the head as he repairs his roof, killing him instantly. Michael, unaware of the consequences of his action, returns to his birthday party, where he proceeds to cheat on his girlfriend Darcy with Amy Ruggerio. Michael feels he’s had the best day of his life.

The next day, while Michael and Joe are on their way to Michael’s driver’s test, the news radio covers Charlie Ward’s mysterious death and appeals to the public for any information. The timing of Charlie’s death aligns with when Michael shot the gun. Michael begins to panic, but Joe makes him vow to keep his mouth shut and act like nothing happened. Joe has been in trouble before and knows how to handle these things. Michael fails his driver’s test and buries the rifle under the firewood in the backyard when he gets home.

Michael tries to go about business as usual, but he’s distant with his family and his girlfriend, Darcy, who is upset he didn’t visit her after his driver’s test. Michael hasn’t told anyone he failed. Michael and Darcy go to a party, though Michael doesn’t want to be there. He’s not even sure he wants to be with Darcy anymore. At the party, Michael encounters Amy, whom he’s been thinking about since their hook-up in Michael’s garage on his birthday. Amy leaves when Darcy returns to Michael’s side.

Michael begins a habit of walking around town to clear his mind. He stops on the church steps in front of the Wards’ house briefly before going to Amy’s house. Amy provides Michael with a comfortable place to relax, and they play board games. Michael stays the night.

Jenna hasn’t been sleeping much since her father’s death, but when she does, she dreams of vines dragging her toward a tree in town known as the Ghost Tree. Jenna refuses to go to the Ghost Tree in these dreams and wakes up with tears in her pillow. Otherwise, she hasn’t been able to cry over her father’s death yet. She still feels like he’s going to come home from work each evening. Jenna’s best friend Andrea convinces her to come to the public pool to get out of the house. There, Jenna encounters her boyfriend, Jason, for the first time since the tragedy. Jenna feels panicky and anxious around Jason, and she cannot figure out why. She and Jason go to the movies later, and she has the same reaction. This time, Amy helps Jenna calm down in the movie theater bathroom. Jenna has never met Amy before this, but she knows Amy has a reputation.

Michael has a nightmare that he’s the bullet that killed Charlie Ward. He gets out of bed because he cannot sleep and finds his brother Josh watching movies. Josh asks Michael if he’s heard that police are knocking on doors in the neighborhood. They’ve narrowed their search area for the source of the bullet.

Michael visits Amy more and more, finding peace in their time together. Amy is kind and accepting of Michael despite his sometimes sour mood. She wonders why he won’t kiss her. Michael worries Amy will think he’s using her, so although he wants her, he doesn’t make a move. He leaves, worried about what to do about Darcy and Amy. A few days later, Darcy breaks up with Michael, having seen him with Amy and assumed the worst.

The police visit Michael’s home to ask about guns and the Fourth of July. Michael lies and says he loaned his gun to Joe. When he’s asked to call Joe, Michael pretends Joe told him the rifle was stolen. Joe understands what is going on and plays along. They meet in the park and discuss their story. Joe files a police report, explaining the rifle was stolen from his car. Michael is scared that they’re going to find out it was him sooner or later, but Joe assures him the police can’t do anything without the gun.

Michael visits Amy, but she sends him away, hurt. Michael learns later that Darcy told Amy that Michael was only hooking up with Amy on a bet. Amy refuses to see or speak to Michael.

Weeks after the tragedy, Jenna still struggles to accept that her father is dead. She tells Andrea about her fantasy of shooting her father’s killer in court. Jenna receives a letter from Amy, who details her experiences with grief after her parents died in a car accident. Amy explains that she was in denial because it hurt too much to admit they were gone, but she finally cried when she admitted it. Jenna begins to cry over her father for the first time. In Jenna’s dream, Amy now helps her to the Ghost Tree.

Andrea convinces Jenna to come to the last big party of the summer. At the party, Jenna talks to Jason again, but he leaves angrily after getting the wrong idea. Andrea has a crush on Michael and asks Jenna to talk to him for her. Michael tries to leave before Jenna can approach, and he exits the conversation as fast as he can. Jenna also sees Amy at the party, with Joe harassing her.

Michael starts to feel safe until the police return to his house with metal detectors. They find a bullet casing in the woods behind the house and confirm it’s from the bullet that killed Charlie Ward. Michael is the only one in town with a Winchester old enough to fire those bullets. Michael’s brother suggests Joe lied about the stolen rifle to hide his guilt. Michael meets up with Joe later to inform him that the police are looking at him. Joe gets drunk and has a meltdown, attacking Amy’s car after a minor fender bender. Michael realizes he’s made a mess of so many peoples’ lives.

Joe is taken to the police station for questioning, which the Wards catch wind of. Jenna spies on Joe’s house to see the face of the man she thinks killed her father, and she’s surprised to recognize him as the guy harassing Amy at the party. She also sees Michael enter the house. She wonders how the three of them are related.

Michael and Joe discuss what happened during the questioning. Michael promises to come clean if Joe is arrested. They’re interrupted when the police arrive to search Joe’s house. Michael visits Amy, and they discuss why Amy was hurt by Darcy’s lies and Michael’s actions. Michael tries to confess to Amy, but she already knows he’s guilty and tells him to confess to the right people instead.

Jenna decides to ask Amy about Michael and Joe, but she gets no answers except that Joe isn’t guilty. Jenna notices Michael watching them. Amy mentions her survivor’s guilt after her parents’ death, and it helps Jenna understand her anxiety around Jason. She feels guilty for staying on the phone with him when she should’ve been calling her father inside for lunch on the day he died. Jenna and her mom discuss this guilt and understand it’s okay to let it go because it’s unproductive.

Jenna is compelled to go sleep at the Ghost Tree, wanting to see her father in her dreams and say goodbye. Michael decides to come clean. While he waits for morning, he also visits the Ghost Tree and finds Jenna there. He knows he has to confess to her first, and he waits for her to wake up.