Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of mental illness.

What is the significance of the novel’s title? How does it function both literally and metaphorically? Who else, besides Blackburn, acts as a caretaker? How so?

What role does Dr. Egan play in advancing one or more of the novel’s key themes? What makes him an important minor character?

In what ways was Blackburn’s childhood bout of polio life altering? How has it impacted him as both a child and an adult?