Domestic Secrets
Page 34
Rosalind Noonan
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The suggested questions are included to enhance
your group’s reading of Rosalind Noonan’s
Domestic Secrets.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. At the beginning of the story, Ariel and Rachel purport to be best friends. What do you see as the first crack in the foundation of their relationship? Do you think it is appropriate for friends to grow apart as life circumstances change, or do best friends make the effort to stay close?
2. Why do you think Rachel finds escape and acceptance among the stylists and customers at Holy Snips? How do you think a scandal like this would impact the salon you patronize?
3. Mike McCabe tells Rachel, “Sometimes people do terrible things. And I’ll let you in on a secret. Even when you know the reason why they did it, you don’t feel any better.” Do you agree with Mike? Does it help us understand and heal from a tragedy when we know the motives of the people involved?
4. Can you identify incidents in Ariel’s past that most likely factored into her behavior?
5. Why did Ariel have sexual encounters with her students despite the risks?
6. Do you see Rachel as a helicopter parent, hovering too closely over her sons? Or do you think she gave them an appropriate amount of space? Do you think there was something she could have done to prevent her son’s violent breakdown?
7. Throughout the novel, Rachel, Ariel, and Cassie are redefining their identities. What do you think of their ultimate incarnations?
8. Why do you think Tootsie lashed out at Rachel with acts of vandalism?
9. In Ariel’s eyes, Cassie is the black sheep of the family, although most parents would see her as the family savior. Do you imagine that Cassie would eventually reconcile with her mother? In what ways does Cassie benefit from distancing herself from Ariel?
10. At the end of the novel, Rachel is heartened by the sight of the renovated façade of Ariel’s former house. “The open glass panel allowed a clear view into the living room, where inviting chairs and a fireplace waited. As if visitors were welcome. As if this family did not possess terrible, twisted secrets that had to be concealed from the neighbors.” Do you think any family is free of dysfunctions that they keep secret?
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2016 by Rosalind Noonan
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-1-6177-3327-7
First Kensington Electronic Edition: March 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1-61773-327-7
ISBN-10: 1-61773-327-X