How does X’s understanding of himself change in each of the three parts of the book? Can his identity be divided into pieces between the three, or is it more complex? Use examples from each part of the book in your answer.

Given that Tamara and X are children when they meet, how is childhood part of Tamara and X’s relationship? Are they ever children around one another, or do they have an entirely adult relationship due to the pressures of war?

How does Wulffson balance using descriptive imagery of violence and injury to the characters with the genre of children’s and YA literature? Does the gruesomeness of the novel contradict its place as a book for young people?