In chapter 11, Dean is aware of the importance of discussing erotic transference with a colleague to ensure he maintains “a helpful and professional therapeutic relationship” with his client, Melanie. But something stops him from seeking help from a colleague. Discuss Dean’s personal history and how you believe it played a part in his failure to ask for help and also in his failure to maintain a professional relationship with Melanie.
Consider the questions Olivia asks Dean during the interview for her film project on grief. Later, when they walk in the park, they talk about the afterlife. Discuss how the opinions they express to each other might have affected their actions and feelings in the future, in particular Dean’s decision to disappear without a trace, leaving Olivia behind to grieve for him, and also Olivia’s inability to accept that he’s truly gone. In chapter 6, she wonders if he’s in heaven. Why would she change her mind about something she once believed when she was younger?
When Dean goes to Melanie’s house for dinner in chapter 14 and we see how their romantic relationship is disintegrating, did you feel any understanding or sympathy for Dean at that point? Also consider Melanie’s feelings and behavior in chapter 17 when she suspects that Dean is interested in Olivia. Discuss how first-person narration and point of view can influence how you, as a reader, might judge what is happening.
Do you believe Melanie and Dean could have been successful in their relationship if he had never met Olivia? Why or why not?
Describe how you felt about Dean’s relationship with Olivia, from the moment he first meets her in his office to the moment when they decide to get married and move to Miami. Consider chapter 18, when they travel up the Hudson River together, and later when they cook spaghetti at Olivia’s apartment. How would you describe their feelings for each other? Did you believe it was true love? Were you rooting for them as a couple? Why or why not?
The book opens with Olivia and Dean going sailing together, and there are many references to sailboats throughout the novel. What do you think the author was trying to convey? Consider how the sailboat represents themes or the state of mind of the characters at different times in the story.
In chapter 23, after Olivia moves back to New York, she expresses this thought about Gabriel: “But here we were, both single again, and I didn’t know how to make him understand that I didn’t want to start anything. I just wanted to be on my own.” How did you feel about Olivia’s resistance to loving Gabriel at that point? Did you feel she was taking too long to get over the loss of Dean? Discuss how grief can affect a person’s ability to move on. Can you describe any examples from your own life where it was particularly difficult for you or someone you know to move on?
When Olivia travels to Australia and finally learns the truth from Dean, were you able to feel any sympathy for his plight? Do you believe Olivia ever truly forgives Dean? If you were Olivia, what would you have said or done when you recognized him on the dock?
After Rose meets Dean in Australia and Olivia wants him to turn himself in for his crimes, Rose says: “But it was so long ago. Don’t you think he’s suffered enough?” Did you agree or disagree with Rose? And in chapter 32, when Dean spends the evening on his sailboat reflecting upon his life, did you wonder if he might flee again? How would you have felt about the novel’s conclusion if he had remained at large?
If Dean had called the police after he fell down the stairs with Melanie, and if he had confessed everything to Olivia right away, how might their lives have turned out? What do you think might have happened?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2013 Jenine Panagiotakos, Blue Vine Photography
Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the popular Color of Heaven series. Readers have described her books as “breathtaking,” “soulful,” and “uplifting.” MacLean is a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
MacLean has a degree in English literature from King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a business degree from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. She currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter. Readers can visit her website at www.JulianneMacLean.com for more information about her books and writing life and to subscribe to her mailing list for all the latest news.