Where the Heart Is | Characters & Character Analysis

Where the Heart Is Characters

Novalee Nation

Novalee is the main character of the book. She is seventeen and seven months pregnant when her boyfriend Willy Jack Pickens deserts her at Wal-Mart. The number seven is her unlucky number. She meets various people in Wal-Mart like Sister Husband, Moses Whitecotton, and Benny Goodluck. Each of these people contributes something to Novalee's life. Sister welcomes her to the town. Moses tells her how important names are. Benny gives her a buckeye tree, which symbolizes good luck. Novalee also meets Forney Hull who works in the library. His sister is really the librarian, but she is an alcoholic who stays in her room above the library so Forney takes her place. Forney exposes Novalee to books.

During the last two months of her pregnancy, Novalee secretly lives in Wal-Mart because she has nowhere else to go. Her mother left her when she was seven, and she lived in foster...
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