Ah, the good old days, when ice cream was just a nickel and your biggest worry was who was going to win in a game of army. In Shooting the Moon, Jamie tells us a lot about what it was like to grow up on an army base and fondly recalls playing with her brother as a kid. In fact, much of the story is told to us in a series of flashbacks. Did you notice how TJ goes off to war in the very first chapter, but Jamie fills us in on how he got there as the book goes along? That's because she's using her memories to give us all the juicy details.
Memory is very important in the book, and it can be comforting (like looking at old pics with your bro) or frightening (like seeing pictures of the war you were in). Let's just hope you have more of the first kind of memories.
Questions About Memory and the Past
- How does Shooting the Moon represent memory? How does Byrd's view of memories differ from Jamie's? What does this reveal about memory?
- What's so important about the past? How does it impact Jamie's view of war and her family? Be specific, please.
- Why do you think the book is told through a series of flashbacks? How would it be different if Jamie laid it out chronologically?
Chew on This
Jamie dwells on the past because it's her only connection to her brother.
Shooting the Moon uses flashbacks to make connections between past and present.