"Where the heart is" written by Billie Letts is about a strong independent woman, Novalee, who is ditched by her boyfriend while on their way to California. She finds herself stranded at a Wal-Mart in Okalahoma. At the time of being ditched Novalee is 7 months pregnant. She lives in the Wal-Mart until time of her baby's birth. Novalee meets many caring people willing to help her and her baby, Americus. .
The novel is set in America in the 1990's the author, Billie Letts, shows the main character, Novalee, as an independent person who, although young, can make it on her own. She is also seen as kind and passionate. Unlike her boyfriend who ditched her. Novalee's boyfriend, Willy Jack, is seen as a selfish person who only thinks about himself and doesn't care about Novalee or the baby. When reading the book Billie Letts makes the reader really hate Willy Jack because of what he did to Novalee and also how he treat's other people in the book.
The story is set near the time that we are living in today so most of the values and beliefs in the novel are very similar to today's. The thing that sets it apart from our lifestyle is the American culture that the novel is set in. The values and beliefs of Americans are not completely different to ours but do differ. The author .
Billie Letts aim is to make the readers feel sorry for Novalee because of the entire trauma she has been through. One of the main themes in the novel is Novalee being a good mother. In the begging of the novel, Novalee is a poor, uneducated teenage mother whose own mother abandoned her a young age. Novalee defies the stereotype that poor single mothers are bad mothers. Billie Letts chose to make the main character a poor, uneducated, pregnant teenager because they are often victims of alcoholic men, but these teenagers keep trying. She believes that Novalee Nation is "among the best of them".
The theme home runs throughout the novel.