Explore how Alzheimer’s disease parallels April and Leo’s marital crisis. How does Billy’s involuntary loss of memory compare to (and contrast with) April and Leo’s engagement with their shared history?

The novel uses The Count of Monte Cristo and The Little Prince as literary touchstones. Analyze how Damoff utilizes these metatextual references to frame Leo’s character arc.

Analyze how the novel complicates Deb’s role as the family’s steadfast caretaker through the revelation of her and Billy’s difficult marital history and her private struggles with his illness. How do her past and present actions reinforce the novel’s themes?

Beyond the central symbol of the burning house, how do other settings in the novel reflect the characters’ internal states? Discuss the symbolic significance of spaces such as Leo’s trailer, the Russo home, and the empty lot where the Torres house once stood.

How does the novel trace The Ramifications of Unresolved Trauma from Ana and Rico to Leo and April, and what means does it offer for breaking these cycles?

Leo’s novel, Seventh City, is a key symbol of his identity and his relationship with April. What is the significance of it being self-published, particularly within the context of his colleagues’ reaction to this achievement?

How do the Russo siblings, April, Josie, and Cameron, serve as foils for one another in their responses to their father’s illness and their own life choices? How do their decisions shape the novel’s exploration of memory?

The novel situates its central family crises in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. How do these specific socio-historical pressures amplify the novel’s exploration of marital strain, postpartum depression, and caregiver burnout?