62 pages • 2 hours read
Jennifer Lynn BarnesA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
A 19-year-old college student, Lyra Kane is the principal protagonist of The Grandest Game. She has “dark hair, amber eyes in a heart-shaped face, [and] golden-tan skin” (74). Lyra’s motivation for playing the Grandest Game demonstrates her deep love for family. In addition, she loves solving puzzles, as she demonstrates when she takes the multiple choice test for a class she isn’t even attending. She’s a level-headed competitor and a sharp observer of those around her: For example, she doesn’t panic when she finds notes with her father’s name (the intent of which was to fluster her), instead simply asking questions and carefully observing people’s answers. Lyra is unusual in that she doesn’t form visual memories easily; instead, she tends to process the world through her other senses, often gathering information through movement and touch.
Lyra recently recovered memories of witnessing her father die by suicide when she was a small child, and these flashbacks upended her life. Her independence and protectiveness are evident in her choice to keep these memories a secret from her family, despite the extreme distress they cause her. The trauma led her to discard her former identity as a dancer and take up long-distance running instead because running distracts her from her feelings.
By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Brothers & Sisters
View Collection
Challenging Authority
View Collection
Fate
View Collection
Fathers
View Collection
Loyalty & Betrayal
View Collection
Memory
View Collection
Mortality & Death
View Collection
Power
View Collection
Revenge
View Collection
Romance
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
Teams & Gangs
View Collection
The Past
View Collection
Trust & Doubt
View Collection
Truth & Lies
View Collection