Life Choices
The short story, ‘Ghosts and Empties,’ explores a woman’s contemplation of her life whilst she is on a walk around her neighborhood. Here she witnesses people on her walks and wonders about their life. She wonders how their life may have turned out different and in turn, evaluates her own life choices.
Snakes
Snakes are heavily featured in this book – both metaphorically and verbally. Groff discusses the large snake population in Florida and uses this as a basis to introduces individuals in her story with similar qualities to that of snakes. For example, in ‘Snake Stones’, the reader is told the story of a woman who helped out a young girl in a dangerous situation, yet in the end, the girl is ungrateful and gives no thanks – thus, the girl is a “snake”, much like the people one may meet in life.
Gender
Gender takes on a key role in the short story, ‘Dogs Go Wild’, which sees two young girls trapped on an island, with the threat to their life coming from being found by men. The story explores adult trauma and domestic abuse – issues that women continue to be riddled with even today.
