The novel is split between the story of Novalee Nation and Willy Jack Pickens. Why do you think the author chose to do this? How does Willy Jack’s story enhance Novalee’s story? How does the coming together of the two stories at the beginning and end of the novel impact the plot? How does Willy Jack’s two meetings with Novalee leave a lasting impact on her life?

How does Letts comment on the way poor people are treated within this novel? How does she use physical scars to represent this treatment? In what way are some of the characters renamed within in the novel? How does this represent condescension on the part of the person doing the renaming?

How does Letts use education and intelligence as a barrier in this novel? For what reason? Is it a shameful thing to be educated? How does Novalee, as an uneducated woman, see herself through the eyes of educated people such as Forney? What impact does this self-doubt and lack of acceptance have on Novalee and Forney’s relationship?