Photograph

A photograph of Courtney is all the personal connection that Gilly has to her mother. She carries it around with her from house to house, and jealously guards it, until she comes to realize that her mother truly wants nothing to do with her.

Postcard

A postcard is mailed to Gilly from Courtney, full of half-hearted feeling and false promises for reuniting. Gilly jealously guards this postcard when she gets it, and brings it with her to Virginia.

J.R.R. Tolkien Books

Named after a character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, Gilly is given these same books by Miss Harris as a souvenir and as a measure of kindness.

Letter

Letters are one of the two primary forms of communication in the novel (the other being the phone). Courtney sends a letter to Gilly, which prompts Gilly to want to go to California...