Characters
These two childhood friends are the central character of the novel.
Annie and Vernice (Niecy)
Both main characters grow up without this family member.
Their mother
The girls grow up in this fictional Louisiana town.
Honeysuckle
This lifelong relationship connects Annie and Vernice.
friendship
Annie spends much of her life hoping to find this person.
Hattie Lee
This word in the title suggests bonds beyond biological relationships.
This nickname is used for Vernice Davis.
Niecy.
This woman is Annie's absent mother.
Hattie Lee
Vernice attends this historically Black women's college.
Spelman College
The girls' shared experience of growing up without mothers strengthens this between them.
Vernice's marriage introduces her to this kind of social environment.
Atlanta's affluent Black society
The contrasting paths of Annie and Vernice explore differences in wealth and this social concept.
Class or Social Mobility
This aunt raises Vernice after her parents die.
Aunt Irene
This relative raises Annie during her childhood.
This Georgia city becomes the setting for Vernice's college experience.
Atlanta
The women use this form of written communication to stay connected.
Annie turns to Vernice for help after experiencing this unexpected development.
The women's search for acceptance and connection reflects this universal human need.
Belonging
This wealthy Spelman roommate becomes important in Vernice's personal life.
Joette
Vernice's mother dies because of this violent act.
Annie travels toward this Tennessee city while searching for her mother.
Memphis
Vernice's relationship with this woman complicates her later marriage.
Joette
Vernice struggles between helping Annie and protecting this aspect of her new life.
This recurring image represents the emotional distance between the two friends.
Waterfall
This man eventually marries Vernice.
Franklin McHenry
This theme examines how the absence of mothers shapes both women's identities.
Maternal loss or abandonment
This historical system of racial separation shapes the women's experiences in the South.
Jim Crow segregation
This term describes the family-like bond the women create without being blood relatives.
Chosen family or kinship
The novel challenges readers to consider whether family is determined by blood or by this.
Love, loyalty, and chosen connection