The novel poses an important question about the nature of personal responsibility. To what extent are we responsible for our own actions? In what ways does the novel question or deconstruct this?

A key theme in the novel is toxic masculinity and the feminine response to it: Nearly every woman in the story suffers violence at the hands of men. How do the women’s experiences differ? In what ways does the novel complicate how society perceives toxic masculinity?

Although the novel focuses on people, many problems that the characters experience are systemic rather than personal. Name a systemic problem that one or more characters experience. How does this issue develop throughout the novel?