In West Mills

Knot and her father prefer to speak in their native colloquial dialect rather than adopt the higher register preferred by Dinah. What affordances does their chosen mode of expression offer them that are not available in the other register? Highlight several examples.

After Knot’s family severs their ties with her, she imagines Otis Lee tell her that, in West Mills, “she always had a family as long as he lived” (84). What constitutes a “family,” under Knot’s new understanding, and which characters might she consider as being part of that family?

Knot frequently reads books by Charles Dickens, who is known for writing novels that share a set of characteristics now considered “Dickensian,” such as convoluted plots involving secrets. Consider In West Mills as a Dickensian novel: How does it fit or diverge from the pattern established by Dickens?

In West Mills is split into three parts, which do not exactly correspond to three distinct periods in which the novel’s action takes place. Discuss why Winslow might have split the novel as he did, and what impact his chosen structure has on the reading experience.

The narration of In West Mills switches back and forth between Knot and Otis Lee’s perspectives. Select one or more scenes featuring both characters and consider why Winslow would have chosen to present that scene from the point of view that he does: What insights would have been lost if the scene were told from another perspective?

Various characters offer different reasons for keeping or telling secrets throughout the novel. Select one piece of information, major or minor, that is deliberately kept secret at some point in the novel and analyze the secret’s function: Who keeps it and why? Who benefits from the secret, and who is harmed? What impact does the secret’s revelation have, if it is revealed?

Winslow refers to the name of the town West Mills in the title of his novel. What makes West Mills a significant setting? What significance does it hold for the characters who live there, and how does it shape their lives?

Valley and Otis Lee are Knot’s best friends, but their relationships with Knot are markedly different. Compare and contrast their involvement with Knot, as well as the impacts, positive or negative, they have in her life.