Ava Johnson voluntarily moves back to Idlewild, Michigan at the start of the novel. However, her decision inspires complicated emotions. How does Ava regard her trip home? Why does she tell herself that her stay is only temporary? How do her expectations for life in Idlewild contrast with her new reality in Idlewild?

Ava leaves both her home and family when she moves away from Idlewild in 1984. Why does this decision feel empowering and freeing at the time? What has changed for Ava since? How does she define home and family, and how do these definitions change over the course of her time back in Idlewild?

How does Ava respond when she tests HIV positive? What actions does she take and how do these actions impact her circumstances? In what ways do her social and cultural contexts contribute to her experience of living with HIV? How and why does she face adversity as a result of her diagnosis?