Reread the final paragraphs of the novel, starting with “But then I feel Adam’s grip tighten…” (234). What is the significance of this final auditory image of Mia truly hearing Adam for the first time since the accident? Why do you think the author chose to end the novel with this particular image? Explain your interpretation of the ending in a multi-paragraph essay.

In the novel, music is both a dividing force and a unifying force. Write a multi-paragraph essay that uses specific passages from the novel to analyze the role of music as both a unifying and a dividing force. In your opinion, what is the author attempting to illustrate, by depicting music as both a dividing and a unifying force in the novel?

Yo-Yo Ma is not only Mia’s musical idol but his music appears at two crucial moments in the novel. Review the scenes where Yo-Yo Ma’s music plays an important role and write an essay that explains the significance of the music to those scenes.