Heartwood

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, gender discrimination, and addiction.

Survival against difficult odds and resilience in the face of adversity are important ideas within this novel. Valerie’s story engages most overtly with this theme, but Bev and Lena also demonstrate resilience, and as the novel progresses, it reveals the sources of each woman’s inner strength, linking that strength to a deep and abiding sense of self.

Valerie’s trail name, “Sparrow,” establishes the basic thematic pattern: She chose it because it was a childhood nickname and because her mother always told her that sparrows are survivors. True to her nickname, Valerie does survive alone in the woods for much longer than the search team thinks possible, aided in no small part by her basic character, including her ability to connect with those she meets: Because Valerie managed to convince Daniel that she was not a threat, he retrieved her pack for her before leaving her behind. Just as importantly, Valerie’s empathy for Daniel underscores that crisis has not altered who she is; despite her sense that the pandemic has drained her, Valerie retains her essential traits. This survival of self intertwines with her determination to survive physically, with the latter encapsulated by her statement “I absolutely refuse to die out here” (85).