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The Architecture of Belonging: Abandonment, New Family Structures, and Home in Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key.

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Title: The Architecture of Belonging: Abandonment, New Family Structures, and Home in Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key.
Authors: Krishnakumar, M.1 prof.mkrishna@gmail.com
Source: Contemporaneity of English Language & Literature in the Robotized Millennium. Dec2025, Vol. 4 Issue 4, p4-6. 3p.
Subject Terms: *Family structure, *Child abuse, Social belonging, Dwellings, Fiction, Transition to adulthood, Young adult fiction, Novelists
People: Dessen, Sarah, 1970-
Abstract: This article investigates Sarah Dessen's 2008 novel, Lock and Key, examining how the central trauma of parental abandonment compels the protagonist, Ruby, to navigate new, estranged family structures and ultimately redefine her concept of "home." While consistent with Dessen's thematic focus on adolescent identity and family issues (Soria 56), this novel distinctively uses the abrupt displacement of the protagonist as the narrative engine. Drawing on the ability of Young Adult (YA) fiction to address serious topics in an accessible manner (Jewkes 49), the analysis demonstrates how Lock and Key tracks Ruby's journey from a state of profound alienation and low self-esteem to securing a new sense of belonging and stability. The novel's success lies in its use of a contemporary narrative to offer a cathartic experience, modeling the complex process of finding security after a fundamental familial crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Contemporaneity of English Language & Literature in the Robotized Millennium is the property of REST Publisher and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: ehh
DbLabel: Education Research Complete
An: 191625306
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
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  Data: The Architecture of Belonging: Abandonment, New Family Structures, and Home in Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Krishnakumar%2C+M%2E%22">Krishnakumar, M.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> prof.mkrishna@gmail.com</i>
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+structure%22">Family structure</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Child+abuse%22">Child abuse</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+belonging%22">Social belonging</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Dwellings%22">Dwellings</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fiction%22">Fiction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Transition+to+adulthood%22">Transition to adulthood</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Young+adult+fiction%22">Young adult fiction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Novelists%22">Novelists</searchLink>
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  Data: This article investigates Sarah Dessen's 2008 novel, Lock and Key, examining how the central trauma of parental abandonment compels the protagonist, Ruby, to navigate new, estranged family structures and ultimately redefine her concept of "home." While consistent with Dessen's thematic focus on adolescent identity and family issues (Soria 56), this novel distinctively uses the abrupt displacement of the protagonist as the narrative engine. Drawing on the ability of Young Adult (YA) fiction to address serious topics in an accessible manner (Jewkes 49), the analysis demonstrates how Lock and Key tracks Ruby's journey from a state of profound alienation and low self-esteem to securing a new sense of belonging and stability. The novel's success lies in its use of a contemporary narrative to offer a cathartic experience, modeling the complex process of finding security after a fundamental familial crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Contemporaneity of English Language & Literature in the Robotized Millennium is the property of REST Publisher and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=191625306
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.46632/cellrm/4/4/2
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 3
        StartPage: 4
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Family structure
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Child abuse
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social belonging
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Dwellings
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fiction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Transition to adulthood
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Young adult fiction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Novelists
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Dessen, Sarah, 1970-
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      – TitleFull: The Architecture of Belonging: Abandonment, New Family Structures, and Home in Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key.
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            – D: 01
              M: 12
              Text: Dec2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
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            – TitleFull: Contemporaneity of English Language & Literature in the Robotized Millennium
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