Annie remembers her pa’s Civil War wound leaving him feeling forever that he was “missing something.†Later, Annie remarks that Adam’s horse is “missing something.†How does this theme of “missing something†manifest itself throughout Annie’s and Adam’s lives?
Consider the gender double standards throughout the story. What behaviors does Adam get away with that have grave consequences when Annie does the same thing?
Annie is adamant that she does not want to know the details of Adam’s past, or Phil’s. Is this wise? Who, if anyone, benefits from her insistence that the past remain private?
Discuss the theme of abandonment. How is each character affected by feelings of having been abandoned—and of having abandoned others? Annie and Adam each harbor feelings of abandonment about the other, though their perspectives change over the years. Does the book's ending resolve these feelings?
