Elise is an intelligent young woman, and she reads widely. She also has seen many excellent movies. The novel refers to works of literature that Elise has read or that she reads during the course of the summer, especially when she works at the bookstore. Some of the books, such as Catcher in the Rye, A Member of the Wedding, and The Bell Jar, involve central characters who, like Elise, are troubled young adults having a very difficult time growing up. The reference to the movie version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is particularly apt. Nate tells Elise that mental hospitals now are not at all like the one in the movie, but June's experiences indicate that they may be. Several other allusions to things outside the novel, seem particularly important. June refers to Kafka and Orwell when describing her experiences in the mental...