Why is the fact that Naomi is an orphan important? How does the author weave this theme throughout the story?

I am not adopted, so I cannot relate to her in that sense, but I wonder if there is a reason she calls herself an orphan rather than just telling people she was adopted. I don't know. I think that the sense of feeling alone and disconnected to everyone has a lot to do with her feeling like an orphan. But I am not sure.

I think that it's important to the story because as soon as she gets the amnesia, she essentially becomes cut off from everything she knows. She becomes an orphan again in terms of not knowing her past and being unclear as to her future.

The orphan line hanging on the next page of text was an interesting metaphor I thought. Not quite fitting in with the rest of the page. Much like Naomi not quite fitting in with her old life. Having to squeeze in all her new understanding about family and relationships into her old life. Like taking the orphan line and fitting it all on one page.

Love this! I also thought that the metaphor of the orphan was about how she wasn't quite fitting into what she used to be in her eyes or in anyone elses for that matter! She was trying to fit what everyone was telling her she was into something she couldn't be.

I agree. She seems like an orphan by starting her life all over again. Just like an orphan starting a new life with a new family.

I had to laugh at Naomi's comment about so many books featuring orphans. It's true many of my childhood favorites feature orphans (Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, etc.)!

Symbolically, I suppose if you don't remember your parents or family because of amnesia, it's just the same as being an orphan. She was orphaned twice!

be an orphan relate to her amnesia I think becuase they are both times when she get a blank slate. AS an orphan she didn't have a history (ya know daughter of a scholl teacher, prostitute, shoe maker ect) to ordain a path or status for her. When she was adopted she got to become a new creation so to speak. The same holds true for her amnesia, without her history to typ cast her she gets to reinvent herself, start anew without the bonds of her history dictating her path. Or maybe I just over analyze, wouldn't be the first time. (or the last )

Yes, she could truly "reinvent" herself, as you said. She had nothing to go on. She was left with just her naked self, a "nobody" as Chloe innocently referred to her. Interesting to see how we define ourselves.

As part of reinventing herself, I truly enjoyed when she cut her hair and began living in her moments without any worries.

I loved that too, it was such a statement. like removing a prentence or a standard that didn't truely represent her. letting her feelings about who she was vs. who she is have a bold visual. I am not that girls you think I am-see! plus it's bold and reckless and I love that-I would love to be so reckless, to make such a screaming uningnorable statement and just sit in front of the mirrior and chop all of my hair off-but alas I have a deeply rooted fear of bad haircuts.

I have a fear of bad haircuts too, CullenFan. I'll have to come up with something else.

My oldest brother is adopted and I have seen how that has affected him in his life. I always wondered how divorce would affect someone who had already been abandoned by their birth parents. To know the people who choose to take you into their family and then for that family to break, I think it would be extra hard. I was glad to be able to explore that through Naomi.