The People We Keep

April’s guitar is her lifeline and integral to the novel’s depiction of Expression Through Music. It is the instrument through which she processes and expresses emotions and the conduit for sharing her lyrics with the world. Her guitar is the most important thing in her life outside of her son, and without it she is lost. Her original guitar was a gift from her father, who also helped introduce her to folk music. His destruction of the guitar in a fit of anger decisively breaks even this tenuous bond and temporarily disconnects her from her music. Without the guitar, she feels adrift and uncertain of who she is, further complicating her turn away from her family of origin. She even suggests that Adam can’t truly know her without knowing about the guitar, saying, “[I]t’s just, it’s important. It’s the most important” (131).

Once April gains another guitar, it becomes an extra limb. She takes it everywhere, including into unknown and potentially dangerous situations. It is a comfort to have it with her at all times, and she is terrified to lose it or have it stolen. It follows April through the