Across The Desert

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of addiction and bullying as well as grief due to the loss of immediate family members (father and sister).

Jolene (Jo), the novel’s protagonist, is 12 years old and lives in a small apartment in Phoenix, Arizona, with her mother. Jo’s father is not mentioned, and Jo discusses only one other relative, Aunt Mallory. In the backstory of the novel, Jo and her mother were driving when they were struck by an oncoming truck at an intersection. Jolene’s Aunt Mallory stayed with her while her mother was in the hospital, but only briefly; Aunt Mallory left unexpectedly, causing Jo to go to temporary foster care. Jo packs away feelings of hurt, fear, abandonment, and helplessness in “little boxes” since the accident. Her mother, addicted to the opioid drug oxycodone, cannot care for Jo effectively, and the neglect impacts Jo’s physical appearance and overall well-being. Jo is bullied at school for her crooked teeth and ill-fitting clothes; for example, other students call her “Snaggletooth and White Fang and Homeless Jo” (68).

Jo is pilot Addie Earhart’s only fan and viewer for The Desert Aviator, and she thinks of Addie as her one true friend.