To deceive the board of directors and hide his secret abortion services, Dr. Larch invents the character of Dr. Fuzzy Stone. What are some other reasons you think he might have for this invention? What does the invention say about the role of storytelling in the novel?

Homer Wells is an orphan, and he thinks of himself as alone in the world. Yet by the novel’s end, he is part of a family, albeit an unconventional one. What understanding does he come to about families and about his own nature? How does he change, and how does he remain the same over the course of the novel?

The later part of this novel takes place during World War II, and there is a long description of Wally Worthington’s wartime experiences in Burma. What purpose do you think that this description serves? What perspective does it give readers on the characters at home in Maine, and the worlds of the orchard and the orphanage?