Janelle, Maren’s mother, leaves when Maren is 16 years old and leaves a note telling Maren that she loves her but can no longer protect her. This abandonment causes new, intense grief for Maren. Does Janelle love her daughter? In what ways is Janelle a sympathetic character?

Despite her intentions and desires, Maren is locked into a continual cycle of killing, eating, hiding, and a life on the move. Does Maren have free will, or is she doomed to spend her life in the cycle of violence and disconnection? Can she ever change? Why or why not?

After her mother abandons her, Maren finds her father, Frank, in the hopes that he will provide answers, stability, and proof that someone in her family can value her. Instead, Frank is hospitalized and medicated beyond coherence. How do Maren’s father, mother, and grandfather, Sully, affect her future and her self-image?