Novalee Nation

Novalee Nation is the main character and principal protagonist of the novel Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. When the novel begins, Novalee is pregnant and seventeen, heading out west to California with her boyfriend, Willy Jack, so Willy can take a job working on the railroad with his cousin. They are both natives of Tellicoe Plains, Tennessee. Novalee has a fear of the number seven, stemming back from when her mother abandoned her at the age of seven. Novalee is a sweet, kind, patient, and beautiful girl, who dreams of a warm home and family. But, Willy Jack has other plans in mind, and he ditches Novalee at a Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma. Novalee is heartbroken. She starts living secretly at Wal-Mart. She is given a buckeye tree by young Benny Goodman as a gift. Next, she meets Sister Husband, who serves as the town's...