She may just be a teenager, but Vera is definitely growing up into an adult quickly in Please Ignore Vera Dietz—and it's not all a great experience. We see flashbacks to Vera's childhood and her days of carefree wonder, and then we see all the tough things that force her to grow up: the departure of her mother, learning that domestic abuse is going on at the Kahn house, her falling out with Charlie, and finally Charlie's death. When Vera says that she might as well be an adult by the time the book opens up, it almost makes sense. Age is just a number, after all.
Questions About Coming of Age
- Do you think that Vera is a more mature teenager, or Charlie? Why or why not?
- What do you think of Ken Dietz's plan to make Vera work a full-time job in order to know what it's like to be a responsible adult? Why does he do it?
- How do you think her mother leaving affects Vera's growing up process?
Chew on This
Though it seems like Ken Dietz is being unreasonable or cheap in his insistence that Vera work a full-time job, he's actually just trying to make sure that she stays out of trouble during her formative years. He wants her to skip a troubled adolescent stage and to go right to responsible adulthood.
Although Vera may seem like she's more sheltered than Charlie, in a lot of ways she's more mature than Charlie, who is still flailing through life. Vera has more of a plan for her future and knows how to get there.