Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- What is the significance of the tree house to Charlie? How about its significance to Vera?
- Why do you think Vera's dad is so frugal and obsessed with ensuring that she works?
- Vera compares her relationship to Charlie with Romeo and Juliet's. What literary or pop culture couple would you compare them to?
- Why would the book include sections as told from the point of view of the pagoda?
- In what ways is Vera like her mother or her father? In what ways is she different?
- Why is so much of the book told from Vera's dad's point of view? What does getting his background provide to the reader?
- What's up with the phantom Charlies who follow Vera around? Do you think they're actually there, or are they a figment of her imagination?
- What do you think the story would be like if it included Jenny Flick's point of view?
- Do you think that Vera is an alcoholic like her dad? Why or why not?
- Why do Vera and her father go on a road trip at the end of the novel? How is it a significant moment?