Alex’s opinion on Kate’s way of showing affection changes throughout the narrative; sometimes he resents her distant presence and sometimes he is grateful for it. What are some other ways in which different expressions of caring show up throughout the novel? How do they vary between characters and cultures, and how do those differences illuminate the novel’s themes?

Many of the changes that Alex and Nadia undergo are tied to the different settings they encounter during their journey. Choose one of the settings that shapes their story and explore the ways in which that particular place influences their growth.

When Alex reads in his guidebook that the natives have no formal art in their society, Kate responds: “[t]hey don’t care about posterity, or showing off. Most of our so-called artists would do well to follow their example” (49). What does the lack of formal art reveal about the culture of the People of the Mist? In what other ways do they express their creativity, and how does that expression shape their society for better or worse?