Did your impression of the child on the cover change by the novel's end? What about the title? What meanings do you think the title holds throughout the story?

Did your impression of the child on the cover change by the novel's end? What about the title? What meanings do you think the title holds throughout the story?

I’m not sure my impression changed as much as broadened. At first I thought it represented Fenna and all her journeys. Then I started thinking more broadly of all the orphaned children searching for a safe place, not just a family. Evelien appeared and my thoughts expanded further to all the abandoned, terrorized and orphaned children across the globe.
The title can refer to all types of hiding as well as spy craft. All the types of hiding Fenna and others did and the reasons they hid. Fenna hid her feelings for Arie, she hid from other children as best she could to avoid taunts as she felt she didn’t fit in. She hid who she really was on stage and portrayed herself as the subordinate rather than the mastermind she was. She hides her past involvement in the Italian Hall tragedy. She hides her suspicions of Hutton, she hides her fears, her intents and she hides who she really is.

Loved the questions in this post! I honestly had not thought much about the cover but looking at it again definitely changed that. Gerrieb's post covered the possible interpretations, but I now really appreciate the cover. I actually use different covers of books a lot as a way to introduce literature in school, and this would be a great example of one that seems simple at first but, in actuality, has a bunch of layers when you start peeling it back.

I guess I missed the boat on this one. I thoght the cover was misleading. At face value, I would have thought it was the story of a child left behind somehow. I guess in a way, it was, but it would not have been the story I expected.

I immediately thought of Lisa Wingate's novel Before We Were Yours, based on the chilling true story of Georgia Tann and her Memphis Tennessee Children's Home Society scandal. Like the families ripped apart in BWWY, Fenna's orphanage experience contributed to her future relationships: her sense of worth and her trust in people. She was wary of showing her true feelings and, as a result, walked away from the love she could have found with Arie.