Wild Bird

Letters are a recurring motif that underline the theme of The Healing Power of Nature, Community, and Storytelling. The first letter that appears in the book is from Wren’s mother, explaining where Wren is going and why. Wren’s reaction to it showcases her feelings of isolation and betrayal, whose origins go back further than the letter. Wren’s anger at being tricked into her current situation is also related to the anger she feels at her family’s increased detachment from each other after the move. Furthermore, her irritation that the letter is printed, not handwritten, highlights the disconnect that she feels from her mother.

These letters showcase three things. Most importantly, they highlight Wren’s tendency to seek escapist routes for dealing with difficult situations; this is applicable to her imaginative storytelling, as well as her desire to seek an altered state of consciousness through drugs and alcohol. The letters also display Wren’s close bond with Mo. Finally, they help Wren to process her time at camp in a positive manner as she rewrites difficult experiences through the lens of adventure and entertainment.

Significantly, it is a letter from home that finally triggers Wren’s breakdown and eventual breakthrough. The article about Nico and Meadow’s arrest, as well as the news that her parents have accessed her text history, lead Wren to eventually confess to everything that she has done, and her three days alone in the desert also lead her to process the past three years through long letters to each of her family members.