Someone You Can Build a Nest In

How does the novel’s temporal structure—which moves through Shesheshen’s awakening from hibernation to her premature emergence the following spring—mirror themes of rebirth and transformation? Analyze how the novel’s organization reflects character development and reinforces its exploration of natural and social cycles.

How do the novel’s secondary characters complicate binary distinctions between civility and monstrosity? Focus on Laurent, the bandits, and the townspeople as you develop your answer.

Analyze Wiswell’s use of sensory imagery—particularly descriptions of taste, texture, and internal bodily sensations—to construct Shesheshen’s non-human perspective while simultaneously creating empathy for her experiences.