Carrymuir and the history of the MacDonalds are repeatedly referred to throughout the novel. Why are these details important to the story? How do they feed into the book’s central themes and motivate different characters’ actions or inform their values?

From the moment Jamie walks into Cam’s life, Cam has a strong response to him. Why is this? Why does Cam choose to anonymously hire a lawyer for Jamie? Do Cam’s feelings about Jamie’s actions change over the course of the book? Why or why not? Support your answer with quotations from the text.

Why do you think Allie is drawn to Jamie, and Cam to Mia? Are there any similarities in each of these attractions? Why do these relationships cause Allie and Cam to do things that are otherwise uncharacteristic of them?