Please feel free to use these questions for your book club discussions.
1. When Kate's father loses his job, and turns to alcohol, he begins abusing her mother. At that time, her mother protects her from him, and from seeing most of the violence visited upon her. Because she's the victim of abuse, and understands the pain and terror associated with that, why do you think she then begins abusing Kate, and abusing her so horribly?
2. Kate is severely abused by her mother, but never her father. Do you feel that he has reasons for this? Do you feel that he is ignoring the situation, or that he is completely or mostly unaware? Why do you think Kate never turns to her father for help?
3. Kate's friends begin pulling away from her as she changes when the abuse begins. Later, they turn on her and begin bullying her. Why do you feel this happens? Do fear, denial, or peer pressure affect how they treat her?
4. When Kate sees Henry after so many years have passed, she runs away. When he tries to talk to her, she is immediately suspicious of his motives. Why do you think she judges him so harshly when she had previously known him to be kind?
5. Kate sneaks out of the house to spend time with Henry, even going so far as to lie to her mother so that she can. Do you feel she is justified in this deception? Or do you feel she should have tried to talk to her mother about it? What do you think the consequences would have been if she had tried?
6. As Kate becomes involved with Henry's family, and sees the type of family she wished she had, do you think they come across as too-good-to-be-true? Does Henry himself seem too-good-to-be-true? Or do you feel that the portrayal of them is realistic as we are seeing them through Kate's eyes and point of view, which might see them as better than they are?
7. When Kate's mother dies as a result of their fight, do you think the prosecution was right to drop their case against her, or do you think there should have been some kind of penal consequences? If you think there should have been consequences, what do you feel would have been appropriate?
8. When Kate breaks up with Henry, she feels like she is doing it for noble reasons. Do you feel her reasons were justified? Or do you feel she was just running once again? Do you think it was ultimately better for Kate to have that time apart to find out who she was without him? Do you feel she grew as a person during that time?
9. Kate forgives her father for his years of alcoholism and neglect. She also rebuilds her relationship with him. Do you think that she should have, or do you think she should have walked away from him, and left him to deal with the consequences? Do you think he was worthy of her forgiveness?
10. Do you feel the prologue gives a good ending to their story? Do you like having it told from Henry's point of view, rather than Kate's? Do you feel it should have been further in the future, to better finalize their story? What do you imagine their future is?
