There are parts of Just Listen that are as bleak and tear-filled as a Nicholas Sparks novel or a Shakespearean tragedy. Annabel's life when the novel opens up is certainly no cake walk; she's dealing with crushing isolation, a former best friend who calls her names and taunts her, and a ton of heavy family issues that make coming home at the end of a long day just as stressful.
Annabel's family life is pretty much permeated with sadness—especially because the Greenes are all tiptoeing around their mom to make sure she doesn't fall into depression again, and Whitney's eating disorder is making everyone feel helpless. How will they ever dig themselves out of this dark phase and into a brighter future?
Questions About Sadness
- Do you think that Annabel is truly sad to lose Sophie's friendship? Why or why not?
- Does Kristen care that Whitney refuses to speak to her? Do you think it makes her sad or is she just as angry?
- How does Mrs. Greene's depression affect her entire family? Does it continue to affect them even after she's recovered?
Chew on This
Annabel thinks that adding any sadness into her family's life will weaken her mother and make her more depressed, but in the end she discovers that everyone in her family provides strength for each other in the hard times.
Annabel believes that living with having been raped means she must suffer in silence and live in isolation. But when Emily gets raped by Will too, Annabel begins to see that there is an alternative—she can be open about what happened to her and in doing so refuse to let Will ruin or define her life.