If you asked Annabel Greene, she'd definitely tell you that one is the loneliest number. At the beginning of Just Listen she's experiencing what may be the loneliest time of her life—her home life is in shambles, her former best friend only speaks to her to call her a slut and a whore, and she eats lunch alone every single day. To make matters worse, she's been raped and hasn't told anybody; she just keeps this horrible secret inside of herself and lets it fester.
It's only when Annabel starts talking to the mysterious Owen Armstrong that she begins to open up and finds that life doesn't have to be so lonesome after all.
Questions About Isolation
- Why does Annabel push everyone away after she is raped by Will?
- What is Whitney's life like when she first comes home to live with her parents again? How does it change over the course of the book?
- How does Annabel cope with her self-imposed isolation? How does it change when she meets Owen?
- Why doesn't Owen hang out with anyone else at school?
Chew on This
At first Annabel believes that even if she did tell anyone what happened to her, she'd be just as lonely and ostracized—but when the same thing happens to Emily, she realizes that she made herself a pariah by not telling anyone.
Both Annabel and Whitney show that healing is impossible in isolation. Community is key.