1. What would you do if you found a box containing a long-kept secret?

2. Kathleen begins the book with a quote from Lord Byron’s Don Juan. Why do you think she chose this particular passage?

3. Discuss the universal themes in both the past sections of the story and the present. What are the similarities?

4. What is it about Baby Blythe that speaks so much to Cate?

5. At one point, Cate says, “I’m not afraid of anything.” Is that true? If not, what is she afraid of?

6. If you were Jack, how would you have reacted to the truths he learns about his life? Do you agree with his choices?

7. What was your favorite moment in the book? Favorite character? Which storyline do you identify with the most, Cate’s present or Baby Blythe’s past?

8. Discuss Jack’s message to Cate, “No more excuses.” How does that tie into the greater themes of the book?