History Literature / TheLightJar

* AbandonedArea: [[spoiler:The mansion, where Kitty claims to live, hasn't been inhabited in fifty years. Most of the windows are boarded up, and the ceiling has collapsed in several places. Nate's mum went in to look for firewood but fell through a hole in the floor, and isn't discovered until Nate goes into the mansion to look for Kitty.]]

* IdentityAmnesia: [[spoiler:Kitty has been wandering the grounds for so long, she's forgotten she's an imaginary friend. She tells Nate her father is Charlotte's brother James, and they live in the few usable rooms in the abandoned mansion. By the end of the book, she's remembered who she is, and she says goodbye to Charlotte's memory and goes off in search of another child.]]

* CallingParentsByTheirName: Kitty refers to her dad as James. Nate thinks it's weird, but thinks it's because she's posh.

* ImpoverishedPatrician: [[spoiler:Nate assumes Kitty is a spoiled rich kid. In fact, her father's business has failed, and her family lives in poverty on the increasingly overgrown property.]]

Eleven-year-old Nate and his mum hide out in a run-down cottage in the woods to escape from Gary, Nate's emotionally abusive stepfather. Just as they're getting settled in, Nate's mum disappears, leaving him all alone. As Nate tries to survive on his own, his childhood ImaginaryFriend Sam suddenly reappears, saying Nate needs him again. Shortly after that, he meets a girl named Kitty who lives in the nearby mansion and is hunting for treasure on the grounds.

* HorribleHousing:
** William died just a few months ago, so Nate's mum expects the cottage to be in decent shape. Instead, they find that it hasn't been maintained in years. The paint's worn off, there's a hole in the window, the garden is a jungle of weeds, and a chicken has moved in and covered the sofa with droppings.
** [[spoiler:Kitty is evasive about the mansion where her family lives, going out of her way to prevent Nate from seeing it. When he finally does see it, he finds that most of the windows are boarded up, and there are holes in the roof. Kitty tells him that only a few rooms are usable.]]

* LittleKnownFacts: Nate's favorite book, ''Freaky Things to Freak You Out'', is full of information like "A man from Brazil has a pet maggot living in his eyelid" and "A rhesus macaque named Mike delivers the mail to the Himalayan village of Konapanthi every day." Nate's mum tells him the book is full of lies, and he gradually realizes she's telling the truth. [[spoiler:Although it does help him solve one of the riddles by teaching him what an ice house is.]]

Eleven-year-old Nate and his mum hide out in a run-down cottage in the woods to escape from Gary, Nate's emotionally abusive stepfather. Just as they're getting settled in, Nate's mum disappears, leaving him all alone. As Nate tries to survive on his own, his childhood ImaginaryFriend Sam suddenly reappears, saying Nate needs him again. Shortly after that, he meets a girl named Kitty who's hunting for treasure on the grounds of the nearby mansion.

Eleven-year-old Nate and his mum hide out in a run-down cottage in the woods to escape from Gary, Nate's emotionally abusive stepfather. Just as they're getting settled in, Nate's mum disappears, leaving him all alone. As Nate tries to survive on his own, his childhood ImaginaryFriend Sam suddenly reappears, saying Nate needs him again. Shortly after that, he meets a girl named Kitty who's hunting for treasure on the grounds of the nearby castle.

* DisappearedDad: When Nate was six, his dad moved to UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity to be with his American girlfriend, Carrie. He and Nate haven't seen much of each other since then.

* DisappearedDad: When Nate was six, his dad left his mom and moved to UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity to be with his American girlfriend, Carrie. He and Nate haven't seen much of each other since then.

* DisappearedDad: Nate's parents split up when he was six. He and his dad haven't seen much of each other since then.

* DisappearedDad: Nate's parents split up when he was little. He and his dad haven't seen much of each other since then.

* HorribleHousing: William died just a few months ago, so Nate's mum expects it to be in decent shape. Instead, they find that it hasn't been maintained in years. The paint's worn off, there's a hole in the window, the garden is a jungle of weeds, and a chicken has moved in and covered the sofa with droppings.

* TheHermit: William rarely left his cottage or spoke to anyone in the years leading up to his death.
* HorribleHousing: The cottage belonged to a friend of Grandma's who died just a few months ago, so Nate's mum expects it to be in decent shape. Instead, they find that it hasn't been maintained in years. The paint's worn off, there's a hole in the window, the garden is a jungle of weeds, and a chicken has moved in and covered the sofa with droppings.

Eleven-year-old Nate and his mum hide out in a run-down cottage in the woods to escape from Gary, Nate's emotionally abusive stepfather. Just as they're getting settled in, Nate's mum disappears, leaving him all alone. As Nate tries to survive on his own, he meets a girl named Kitty who's hunting for treasure on the grounds of the nearby castle.