The Usual Rules Analysis

New York, New York The book opens up in Wendy's hometown of New York, New York—which is the kind of place singers sing about and directors film movies about. It's full of bustling people, cultura...

Although the story's told from a third person perspective, we get to see the inner workings of Wendy's mind—which is helpful, because so much of what she experiences is internal. Terrible things...

Although The Usual Rules is a story about a great tragedy, it's also a coming of age tale because the main character is a teenage girl who does quite a bit of growing up throughout the story. Wendy...

The tone of The Usual Rules can be pretty somber at times because Wendy is going through a particularly difficult time—after all, she's dealing with a national and personal tragedy. Throughout th...

The writing style of The Usual Rules is simple and never flowery—the narrator describes the things Wendy goes through as they happen, and shows her feelings (whether ugly or pretty) in a stark, t...

The title of The Usual Rules refers to the fact that Wendy's life has been turned utterly upside down due to the events of 9/11—and the usual rules that she's come to rely on no longer apply. Not...

It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and i...

At the end of the book, Wendy goes back to New York City to be with Josh and Louie. As she picks Louie up from school, she reflects on how they'll have to have a memorial service for her mother soo...

Although the language in The Usual Rules is pretty straightforward and simple, the writing style takes a little getting used to. Spoiler alert: There aren't any quotation marks in this sucker. And...

New York, New York At the beginning of the book, we're introduced to our main character, Wendy, who's just an ordinary thirteen-year-old girl living in New York City with her mom, stepfather, and h...

Joyce Maynard uses the very specific verb "keen" to describe the sound that Wendy makes after her mother dies. And she admits that it's because she likes the word… well, and because she used to l...

Wendy is a thirteen-year-old girl, so it's no huge surprise that she's a bit preoccupied with her changing body and is curious about sex. Throughout the book, Wendy muses about how her body looks a...

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