“Home is where the heart is” is undeniably the crux of the narrative as the story revolves around the central characters particularly Novalee Nation. Home is not blood relatives or the place of birth for Novalee but the place and the people she finds after struggling for the 17 years of her life. She has been abandoned since childhood and misfortunes seem to follow her in the hands of the people that should protect her. The story is about abandonment and hopelessness and consequently the sense of family and hope that arise eventually. A pregnant Novalee is abandoned by her boyfriend Willy Jack in a small town in Oklahoma where her life turns around. At the most vulnerable time of her life, pregnant, young, jobless, and alone, Novalee does not have anyone to turn to until the universe offers her everything.
Following her abandonment in Sequoyah, a chain of events and acquaintances turn Novalee’s misfortunes into blessings. Novalee initially residing at a Walmart is symbolic in that she finds shelter at a facility that serves the community in its entirety. In the same vein, Novalee is saved by the whole community and gains a family, sustenance, a job, and a sense of community from complete strangers. She finds a mother in Sister Thelma Husband who dedicates herself to protect and nurture Novalee in a way she never received prior. Moses Whitecotton becomes a significant figure in her life as he opens her to the world of creativity even suggests the naming of her child Americus. Moreover, she finds a reliable partner in Forney Hull, and even though there are unresolved romantic feelings he offers the support she needed from Willy.
The title of the novel is accentuated in the narrative when the town is hit with massive storms and everything is lost. In that, the properties and the community being torn apart does not eliminate the connection that she found in the town. She is tempted to move to Poteau where the Walmart is being reconstructed but the sense of community and connection still makes Sequoyah her home. Additionally, the story juxtaposes Novalee’s life over the years to Willy’s journey in the world as he finds himself. While Novalee is building the metaphorical home and finding a family, Willy further disconnects from a sense of community. As he spirals in his journey as a musician and misfortunes Novalee on the other hand gains what she never had with him. Essentially, he ran to find himself but lose himself while Novalee finds her place in the world after she was abandoned.
