How does author Flowers’s personal interest in the true crime genre contribute to the novel? How does her upbringing in Indiana affect the text? What authorial context does she provide that enhances the reading experience?

How do the events of the text align with and deviate from the conventions of the true crime genre?

What culpability do the residents of Wakarusa have in January’s murder and its aftermath? How are they liable for what happened to her? What impact did they have on the choices Krissy and Billy made after January’s death?