Crossroads

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness, death, and cursing.

“Dad loved that about Montana. How one minute, you’d be fully connected to the world. The next, this place would decide for you that it was time to put the devices away. Like Montana knew you weren’t paying attention to its beauty because you were too focused on a screen.”

In this quote, Montana is personified to emphasize its beauty, isolation, and potential as a place for healing and Renewal Through Second Chances. From the very first page, the importance of nature and the connection to the land is brought to the forefront. This passage sets the stage for Indya’s personal journey of healing and transformation when she returns to Montana in adulthood.

“This was my land. This was my home. […] Indya knew what this ranch meant to me. To my family. It was as much a part of my body as my bones.”

West has a deep personal connection to the ranch and the Montana landscape that stretches back to his family history. Indya’s return brings many changes, and West is initially defensive and resistant to The Necessity of Accepting Change. He uses a metaphor to emphasize just how much the ranch means to him, as it is a major part of who he is.

“If angry was a sound, it was the thunder of his boots on the floor.”

Auditory imagery is used to describe West’s anger, which is expressed in the form of his body language alone. Indya can tell when West is angry just by the way he walks, emphasizing the deep connection between them. The use of the word “thunder” denotes an intensity that defines West’s whole personality as a stoic but deeply emotional and inwardly turbulent man.