techniques does Harington employ to ignite the reader's senses and draw them into the tale?

2. The narrator likens Latha’s appearance to Vanessa Redgrave in Blowup. If you were to adapt this novel into film, who would breathe life into Latha? What qualities regarding Latha do you believe this actress could vividly capture?

3. Harington's novel Lightning Bug is notable for its fluid shift in tense from past to present to future, culminating in a future-ending. Does this narrative device satisfy your expectations within Harington's fiction? Or do you still perceive a definitive ending, notwithstanding the future tense?

The Humor and Beliefs in "Lightning Bug"

4. How would you characterize the humor in Lightning Bug? Is it satirical in nature? If so, what does it lampoon? Does it ridicule the inhabitants of Stay More? How does this humor compare to Vance Randolph's collections of Ozark humor and folklore?

5. Latha holds a strong conviction in what the sophisticated dismiss as "superstition." Do you harbor any beliefs similarly dismissed as superstitions? Perhaps you might draw parallels between Latha's superstitions and those described in Randolph's Ozark Magic and Folklore.

6. Does "Dawny" resonate as a "realistic" depiction of a five-year-old? What might have influenced Harington to craft "Dawny" as he is?

Faith and Interpretations

7. Does the novel challenge Christian belief, or does it showcase the best of Christian faith? Does it critique Latha's superstitious beliefs? Remember, both Every and Latha, much like devoted followers, are believers in "signs" and their interpretations. Does the narrator convey any beliefs?

8. Latha's fainting at her climax during intimacy is portrayed as a swooning rapture, akin to the ecstasy felt by some Christian saints. Is Harington, particularly through Latha's dream, suggesting a comparison between these two forms of rapture? If so, what is the purpose behind this parallel?

Character Explorations

9. What renders Latha so captivating that Harington centers two of his novels around her?

10. Why does the narrative reveal so little about the adult Donald and why does he remain "lost" by the novel's end?

11. Why is there silence regarding Dawny/Donald's parents? Could his aunt and uncle, who seem to play the role of surrogate parents yet fall short, be contrasted with the idealized parents that children often dream of, embodied by Latha and Every?

Promises and Faith

12. Dawny endures a beating from his uncle for refusing to tell on Latha. Is the recounting of Lightning Bug a violation of Dawny's vow? Keeping promises, as shown by Latha and Every, is a grave matter in the novel, so why would Dawny betray his promise to narrate the tale? The act of keeping a promise also embodies faith, as demonstrated by Every throughout the years following his pledge to God in Nashville. Are the acts of writing and reading a novel themselves expressions of faith?

Donald Harington once revealed that his crafting of Lightning Bug was intended as a poignant farewell to the whimsical hamlet of Drakes Creek, Arkansas—a place that symbolized the essence of his youth. As a result, the novel delves into the nearly universal journey of mourning cherished things lost and the yearning to rekindle that lost affection. This yearning is akin to an impulse to halt the relentless march of time, to conquer mortality itself, as echoed in the moniker he grants his imaginary town—Stay More, Arkansas. Interwoven with this exploration of coping with the absence of beloved things is Harington's vivid portrayal of art's pivotal role in our navigation through loss. Through the novel's elaborate storytelling technique, Harington illuminates how the art of narration doesn't merely help us cope with loss but fortifies us against its grasp.

Reconciliation of Differences

Another intriguing theme is the harmonization of disparities, the subtle dance of blending and merging into unity. Within the novel, these contrasts manifest in various guises. Latha Bourne, the story's heroine, is a staunch believer in the arcane powers of folk superstitions, while Every Dill, the protagonist, holds fast to the tenets of Christianity. There exists a dichotomy between the unadorned ways of the Arkansas Ozarkers of Stay More and the polished sophistication of those who dwell, like the narrator and possibly the novel's audience, within the bounds of mainstream society. Additional contrasts lie between "then"—the era in which the tale unfolds—and "now"—the time in which the tale is recounted; as well as between the experience of engaging with a story through reading and that of embracing it through listening. Harington masterfully unites these differences, not by merely placing them side by side, but by weaving them into harmonious coexistence.

Virtually every literary creation that attempts to reclaim the sands of time, particularly the bygone era of childhood, can be viewed as a precursor to Lightning Bug. Marcel Proust's monumental Remembrance of Things Past (1913-1927), Vladimir Nabokov’s reflective memoir Speak, Memory (1966), and Alain-Fournier’s enchanting tale Le Grand Meaulnes (1913; translated as The Wanderer), which weaves a story about the elusive quest to rediscover a magical realm that has slipped beyond reach. Yet, the work that seemed to resonate most profoundly with Harington during his conceptualization of Lightning Bug was James Agee's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, A Death in the Family (1957). Its opening section, "Knoxville: 1915," beautifully conjures a tender portrayal of a family basking in the embrace of a Southern summer evening.

Agee’s and Harington’s narratives both delve into the poignant theme of the fragmentation of the idyllic "Childhood"—that profound sense of unity and love. In Agee’s novel, this fragmentation stems from the tragic demise of the father in a car accident. This loss is intertwined with the young son Rufus’s guilt, echoing the Christian narrative of the Fall, the original sin that led to Adam and Eve’s exile from Eden.

While Lightning Bug shares some of the gentle lyricism found in Agee's work, it diverges with its light-hearted and often humorous tone. The novel brims with the playful, earthy humor of the Ozarks, addressing sexual themes with refreshing candor. Instead of chronicling the dissolution of a family, Harington's story celebrates the rejuvenation of one—Latha, Every, and Sonora are brought back together. Only the narrator remains adrift, but the novel hints that this too is temporary. A notable distinction is that Lightning Bug embraces metafiction, revealing itself as a story about storytelling (which partially explains its candid approach to sexuality), whereas Agee’s A Death in the Family leans more towards a nostalgic recollection.

Harington has credited Mary Maclane's "I Have in Me a Quite Unusual Intensity of Life" (featured in The Inner World of Mental Illness; 1964) and Theodore Roethke’s contemplative series "Meditations of an Old Woman" for providing deep insights into crafting the character of Latha.

Interwoven Narratives and Themes

Lightning Bug intricately connects with the tapestry of Harington's Stay More series, yet it is Some Other Place. The Right Place that resonates most profoundly with its echoes of "loss and search, of losing and finding, of wanting."

The Quest for Legacy

In this enigmatic tale, Diana Stoving embarks on a journey to uncover the life once lived by her grandfather, Daniel Lyman Montross. Her expedition unfolds through Day Whittacker, a young man who, under the spell of hypnosis and age regression, relives Montross's experiences. This journey traverses decades, from 1880 to 1953, creating a vivid tapestry of past and present reminiscent of the duality found in Lightning Bug. Much like its predecessor, Some Other Place emulates a musical composition, with its chapters labeled as movements. In a nod to Lightning Bug, the poetry of Theodore Roethke becomes the backbone of the novel's third movement, "There and Here," comprised entirely of Montross's Selected Poems. Their quest leads Day and Diana through the ghostly remnants of towns where Montross once lived—Dudleytown, Connecticut; Five Corners, Vermont; Lost Cove, North Carolina; and the fictional Stick Around, Arkansas, an imaginative shadow of Stay More.

Patterns of Discovery

In a clever twist from Lightning Bug's finale, where characters search for a narrator lost amidst the woods, Some Other Place opens with a narrator in pursuit of Diana. This quest mirrors through the intricate paths traced by Day and Diana as they delve into Daniel's life. Such themes of search and discovery reverberate throughout Harington's works, appearing in The Architecture of the Arkansas Ozarks (1975), Let Us Build Us a City (1986), and The Cockroaches of Stay More (1989). Moreover, the narrative device of direct address sees its role reversed in Some Other Place. The Right Place (1972), where Daniel speaks directly to the narrator during the final movement, "A Dream of a Small But Unlost Town," a technique echoed later in Ekaterina (1993).

Shadows and Names

The narrator's voice, a familiar presence in Lightning Bug, continues its saga in Some Other Place, revealed when Montross recognizes him as "G" after finding him wandering in the woods. This enigmatic "G," also known as Dawny/Donald, carries significance into Ekaterina, where Montross cryptically refers to him as "I," artfully concealing the true initial "H." This playful device of shading, a hallmark in the conclusion of Some Other Place and the opening of Ekaterina, blurs the line between reality and fiction by obscuring real names and places, thereby fictionalizing them. Ironically, the act of shading the imaginary Stay More as Stick Around adds a layer of mystique to a place born of fiction.

Interconnected Yet Independent

Rich connections weave between Lightning Bug and the broader Stay More series. These threads offer readers a deeper sense of immersion and delight, yet each novel within the series maintains its own distinct identity, inviting exploration without dependence on its counterparts.