Discussion Questions
Spoiler Alert: Please note that the questions below contain spoilers.
- In the Prologue, Kate says ‘I’ve often wondered if a person’s life follows a path that is laid out long before he or she ever takes a first step. Or are we in control of what happens to us?’ What do you believe is the answer to this question, and how much control did Kate have over her fate in the end?
- In Chapter Seven, Kate’s mother says, ‘You’re only fifteen, Kate. There will be plenty of other boys.’ Do you believe it’s possible for a fifteen-year-old girl to know that she’s found her mate for life? Do you think Kate was foolish to believe this? Why or why not?
- If there had been no ambulance accident, and Kate had her baby according to plan, do you think her father would have kept his promise and allowed her to marry Glenn? Would the marriage have been a success?
- When ‘Elizabeth’ makes her first appearance at Ryan’s house, had you forgotten about Kate’s story? At what point in the novel did you begin to suspect that Elizabeth and Kate might be the same woman?
- Do you think Gladys met Becky years earlier? What might have happened? How, or why, did Bubba end up with Marissa?
- Kate chooses to remember her father’s kind act of making sure that her teddy bear went with Becky to the adoption clinic. Is this a form of forgiveness on her part, and do you believe he deserves it? How did you feel about what happened with her father in the end? Would you have preferred to see things end differently between them? How? And why?
- In what ways are Kate and Ryan mirror images of each other? How does this relate to the idea of soul mates?
- What is the significance of the woman from the lake? Kate never learns if she wakes from her coma. Why do you think the author chose to leave that question unanswered for Kate?
- What are the key themes in the novel? Can you provide a few examples of where the themes are conveyed through the characters’ dialogue or introspection?
- Do you believe in miracles or real-life magic? Or is it all luck and coincidence?
- Are there any events in your life that seem pre-destined? Why do you believe this?