Chains

What is an epigraph? How does the author employ this modernist technique, and how does it impact the novel as a whole?

How does the author use the historical fiction genre to give the reader a side of the American Revolution they may not have ever seen?

Explore the concept of literary foils. How are Isabel and Curzon foils for each other? How does their relationship serve as a backbone of the narrative structure?

Who is the villain in this story? Is it a specific character, or is the author asking the reader to look deeper for the answer?

Becky is a complicated character. Is she a true ally to Isabel and Ruth? Why or why not?

Analyze the novel’s title. How is the idea of chains, both physical and metaphorical, examined in the text?

The author uses detailed descriptions of food at various key points in the novel. Why does she do this? What rhetorical purpose does it accomplish?

Human suffering features throughout the novel’s entire narrative from the beginning. How does the author approach the difficult subject in a YA novel targeted for younger audiences?