All We Have Left

Alia’s parents are displeased with her on two counts: they believe that she was in possession of marijuana at school and they are displeased with the educational emphasis offered by the New York City high school that she has chosen. What is the basis of their objections?

Nick mouths advice to Jesse in the school hallway, saying, “Blow up the box” (24). She comes to consider this suggestion to be emblematic of their relationship. What does Nick’s counsel refer to initially, and how does it come to characterize them as a couple?

Alia has a phone conversation with her grandmother, Nenek, in which she details her recent conflicts with her parents as well as her decision to wear a hijab. This section provides an explanation of various interpretations by Muslim women of the imperative to “wear the scarf” (73). Describe the different opinions regarding the wearing of the hijab that are mentioned during this phone conversation. 

Jesse finds an album filled with news clippings regarding her late brother, Travis, a 9/11 victim, while looking for her climbing gear in a shed on her family’s property. She suspects the album was completed by her mother, but wonders, “Who is she hiding it from?” (79). Who compiled the album, and why was it hidden in the shed? 

When Alia and Travis first reach a stairway within the Trade Center to begin their long descent to street level, the young woman is unaware of the extent of the damage inflicted by the attack. At what point does she become aware that they are involved in a true catastrophe?

Jesse and Alia visit the 9/11 Memorial together toward the end of the book. In her detailed description of the exhibition, Jesse describes the Reflecting Pools. Consider the literary symbolism generally associated with water. Why is it appropriate that the names of the 9/11 victims be inscribed on brass plates underneath the water in the pools?

What does Jesse find so attractive about Nick? What has caused her to be in a vulnerable psychological state that enables him to control her actions after they start their relationship?

Consider the imagery of ascent in the novel. For example, the two couples—Adam and Jesse, and Travis and Alia—both engage in upward climbs over the course of the book. Describe the situations in which such climbs occur. How does ascent imagery relate to the main themes of the novel?