Plot & Structure
This is the state Adam is trying to reach on his bicycle journey.
What is Vermont?
This is Adam’s real last name.
What is DelMonte?
A major theme involving secrecy and hidden truths.
What is deception?
The bicycle represents this desire.
What is freedom?
Readers realize before Adam does that his journey is not real. This is an example of this literary device.
What is dramatic irony?
The novel alternates between Adam’s bike trip and these recorded conversations.
What are the tapes/interviews with Brint?
The mysterious man who interviews Adam.
Who is Brint?
Adam struggles to understand this about himself throughout the novel.
What is his identity?
The song “The Farmer in the Dell” symbolizes this connection to Adam’s past.
What is his family/childhood?
Brint’s questioning technique suggests he is more interested in this than Adam’s well-being.
What is extracting information/control?
Adam’s journey is eventually revealed to be this type of experience.
What is a mental reconstruction/memory exercise?
(or What is part of his therapy in an institution?)
Adam’s father once had this name before entering the witness protection program.
Who is Anthony Delmonte?
The government’s role in the novel explores this theme about authority.
What is corruption/abuse of power?
The package Adam carries represents this hope.
What is the connection/reunion with his father?
The fragmented structure (of the plot/book) reflects Adam’s fragmented what?
What is memory/mind/identity?
The structure of the novel is nonlinear, meaning it does NOT follow THIS type of order.
What is chronological order?
Adam’s loyal childhood friend/girlfriend who later distances herself from him.
Who is Amy Hertz?
Adam’s isolation highlights this emotional theme.
What is loneliness?
The rat in the song symbolizes this about Adam’s situation.
What is betrayal or being trapped?
Adam’s paranoia toward strangers suggests this about his mental state.
What is trauma or instability?
Adam’s bicycle trip symbolizes this deeper struggle.
What is his search for truth/identity/freedom?
This government program was meant to protect Adam’s family but ultimately failed them.
What is the witness protection program?
The novel suggests that the search for truth can lead to this painful consequence.
What is suffering or psychological breakdown?
The hospital/institution symbolizes this loss.
What is loss of freedom/control?
The ending suggests that Adam is likely to experience this ongoing condition.
What is continued psychological manipulation/control?