Lemons

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2017

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-12

Chapters 13-19

Chapters 20-30

Chapters 31-39

Chapters 40-53

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Background

Authorial Context: Melissa Savage

Melissa Savage is a child and family therapist and children’s book author. Savage combines her knowledge of how children approach and cope with difficult experiences, such as loss, with adventure and myth. Savage has written since she was seven years old, and all of her stories contain a mythical element like Bigfoot, aliens, or the Loch Ness monster. Savage also founded the Tobin Scott Foundation, an organization that supports children dealing with illness or loss by helping them process their emotions through writing. The Tobin Scott Foundation was named after Melissa’s son Tobin, who died during childhood. In Lemons, Tobin is also the name of Lemonade’s new friend and partner in adventure.

Historical Context: America and the Vietnam War

Lemons takes place in 1970s America after the Vietnam War, which took place from 1955 to 1975. The war between North and South Vietnam also involved the Soviet Union and the United States, which each supported a side and fought one another by proxy of the Vietnam War. Massive protests surrounded the war, as many viewed it as unnecessary, brutal warfare. Further, a draft was instated, and thousands of American men were sent to war involuntarily. While serving in the war, many of these men were ordered to commit acts that did not align with their morals, and many were captured and made prisoners of war. As a result, mental health conditions like combat stress reaction (as exhibited by Tobin’s father) and post-traumatic stress disorder were common. When Lemons reveals that Tobin’s father has secretly returned but lives in the woods, where he fled after hearing airplanes, Savage offers commentary on the effects of the war on returned soldiers.

Cultural Context: Bigfoot Footage

During the 1970s, filming equipment was large, heavy, and expensive to develop, and the images it produced were grainy. The internet was not invented yet, and people relied on news and local stories for most of their information. This was especially true in small, isolated towns like Willow Creek. The Patterson-Gimlin film discussed in Lemons was an actual piece of footage taken in 1967 in Bluff Creek. At the time, the footage was criticized by skeptics, but it intrigued millions. Today, the footage is largely believed to be fake, but it remains the most famous piece of Bigfoot footage. Bigfoot is a cultural symbol of North America, and stories of yeti-like animals span across the globe.