Compare and contrast the adolescents that Lucille and Ruthie become. What eventually separates them? What keeps them united? What are the underlying reasons and motivations for their decisions on whom to live with?

Consider trains in the novel. What do they represent? Who, in the novel, is associated with trains? Why are trains an apt metaphor in this novel?

Consider the role of water in the novel. It is pervasive throughout the novel, with numerous characters dying in the lake and the flood that comes after Sylvie arrives. What does water represent? Why is it an important symbol?