Her Mother's Shadow
by Diane Chamberlain

List Price: $23.95
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 0778320170
Publisher: Mira Books

When Lacey O'Neill was a teenager, an emotionally overwrought husband stepped into the battered women's shelter on North Carolina's Outer Banks where Lacey and her mother were volunteering and shot Lacey's mother. He killed one woman but destroyed two families — Lacey's and his own.

Now a stained glass artist in her late twenties, Lacey lives in the old Kiss River light keeper's house and is struggling to overcome her own destructive behavior when she receives shocking news. Her childhood friend has died, leaving Lacey to parent her troubled daughter, and Lacey's mother's killer is up for parole. While Lacey and her family cope with these challenges, the shattering truth about her well-respected, good-hearted mother unfolds. Nothing is what it seemed. Through it all, Lacey learns that with the truth comes forgiveness, healing and the courage to finally open her heart.

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1. The overall theme of Her Mother's Shadow is second chances. What developments in the story relate to this theme?

2. Witnessing her mother's shooting sent Lacey down a path of self?destruction. As the story begins, she has made strides in dealing with her self?destructive behavior, but she is obviously still coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. What do you think of her coping mechanisms as the story begins, and what growth has she achieved in this by the story's end?

3. Why do you think Lacey was attracted to bad boys? Of the two men who are vying for her heart in the story, which one would you choose and why?

4. How do your attitudes toward Zachary Pointer, Annie O'Neill's killer, change during the story? Do you think he deserved to be paroled and what is your reasoning behind your opinion?

5. What function does dealing with the proposed parole serve in the growth of Lacey's character?

6. In Lacey's eyes, her mother had been a fraud, but in this story she is duped by another fraud? Who is this character, and what does she learn by dealing with his fraud?

7. What did Lacey learn about herself by parenting Mackenzie, the daughter of her deceased friend, Jessica?

8. How would you describe Clay and Gina's relationship? Do you know any couples who have a relationship like theirs?

9. The Outer Banks setting establishes a mood in this story. How does this mood reflect the characters' struggles?

10. Did reading this book help you understand conflicts within your own family? Did the story compel you to change your attitude toward anyone or inspire you to do something for those you love? If so, please elaborate.

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