Who is Lucy? Why is she the narrator at the beginning of the novel? How does the reader come to understand Lucy's relationship to Lizzie? What happened to Lizzie as Lucy understands it? What does Lucy plan to do to help her deal with Lizzie's passing? How does Lucy imply that Lizzie's parents are dealing with her death? Alvy?

Who is Lizzie? What does she think when she wakes in a ship's cabin? What does Lizzie think happened to her hair? Why does Lizzie not realize immediately what the hole in the back of Thandie's head is? Why does Thandie figure out what happened to them before Lizzie does? How does Lizzie finally come to realize she is dead? How does Lizzie react to this?

Who is Betty? Why does Betty come to meet Lizzie at the Nile? What does Betty tell Lizzie that...