Family Family

What role do secrets play in the novel? How do they affect the relationships between characters and the overall plot development?

How does the novel's structure—i.e., the alternating from past to present timeline—affect the storytelling? How does this structure illuminate some of the novel’s key themes and ideas?

Analyze the gender dynamics in the novel. How do India’s experiences with both Robbie and Davis shape her? How does she negotiate her own sense of femininity and sexuality?

How do the adoptive experiences of the characters reflect real-life adoption challenges and joys? How are these experiences different from or similar to other popular depictions of adoption?

Examine how the characters’ conceptions of family change throughout the narrative. How and why do these changes occur? How do changing notions of family shape the character arcs of one or more of the main characters?

India tries to maintain a sense of control in her life through her use of index cards (See: Symbols & Motifs), yet her life takes many unexpected turns. How does the novel explore the tensions between agency and destiny, or control and spontaneity?

Consider India’s experiences with the media. How is the nature of mass media depicted? How does the media help influence conceptions of persona and identity?

Discuss the backstories of Camille and the Andrews. Why are their stories needed for context? What is the wider significance of their experiences in the text?