Clock Dance

How did Willa’s parents’ marriage impact Willa? Why does Willa think the only two choices are to be like her father or marry a man like her father?

Compare Willa and Elaine. How have they adapted to their upbringing? Why does Elaine lump Willa in with their parents?

Why is the novel structured the way it is? Why did Tyler space out the sections by one or two decades each?

Why did Willa choose to marry men like Derek and Peter? What traits do they share? What draws her to them?

In what ways does the community of Dorcas Road resemble Space Junk? What parallels are there between the characters of Space Junk and the dynamic of the people on Dorcas Road?

Cheryl is often hurt by the adults she has grown close to. What does Cheryl’s desire for more family members nevertheless show about her upbringing?

Compare Denise and Willa as mothers. What makes a good mother in the world of the novel?

Why does Tyler end the novel with every loose end resolved? Does this detract from the novel’s realism? Why or why not?