Local Knowledge

by Liza Gyllenhaal

  7. The novel tells the story of two very different friendships: the one between Paul and Luke and that between Maddie and Anne. What do these contrasting relationships tell you about the people involved?

  8. Similarly, the book explores two love affairs: the lifelong one between Maddie and Paul, and Luke and Anne’s brief and fatal coming together. What do you think makes one relationship so stable—and the other so tragically volatile?

  9. Have you ever kept a secret for a friend? Did you regret your decision, or did you believe that it was important to do so for the sake of the friendship?

  10. Have you ever had a friend drop you, the way Anne does Maddie? How did that make you feel—and react? Were you able to forgive and forget in time?

  11. Have you ever lied to—or kept the truth from—your husband or boyfriend for what you thought was his own good? Do you regret this?

  12. Do you think Rachel knew what was going on between Anne and Luke? If so, what gave you that impression, and how do you think Rachel felt about these two adults having a love affair?

  13. Do you think teenagers are entitled to their own secrets? For instance, was Maddie right to intervene when Rachel tried to arrange things so that she and Aaron could spend a night alone together? What would you have done?