Compare and contrast Josephine Doyle’s and Wells Whitaker’s characters. In what ways do the protagonists complement one another? In what ways do their differences help them to support each other and grow?

Explore the ways in which Wells’s character changes over the course of the novel. What language does the narrator use to describe him in the early chapters of the novel? How do these descriptions change over the course of the narrative, and why? What experiences and relationships contribute to Wells’s evolution?

How does the novel explore the challenges of autonomy and independence through Josephine’s dilemmas in the novel? How does Josephine’s attitude toward these challenges change over the course of her character arc?