I look down at these sensible shoes moving my feet forward and I’m actually glad I’m wearing them. I have a long walk ahead of me.
Questions for Discussion
1. Sleepwalking in Daylight opens with a very provocative look at sex and the modern marriage. Where do you think sex ranks in terms of importance in a relationship?
2. Do you believe there is a greater amount of dissatisfaction in today’s marriages than there was in the past? What role do you think people’s expectations play in the success or failure of their relationships?
3. Statistics show that more and more women are marrying later in life. Do you think couples who marry after age thirty have a better chance of having a successful marriage than those who marry young, as Samantha and Bob did?
4. When do you think Samantha started to lose her connection with Cammy? If her relationship with Bob had been on better footing, do you think Samantha would have let her daughter withdraw as much?
5. Do parents ever really know their kids? We like to think so, but when it comes to independent teenagers, can we be sure? How confident are you that you would know whether or not your child has tried alcohol and/or drugs, and what would you do if they had?
6. It can be very easy for us to blame the parents for a child’s mistakes. At what point does a teenager “own” her actions and decisions? Discuss how much of the responsibility you feel falls on Cammy’s shoulders, not her parents’, for her choices and behavior.
7. Discuss the novel’s structure. In what ways do the alternating narratives between mother and daughter enhance the story? How do the scenes in a teenager’s voice give you further insight into the characters and their actions?
8. When it comes to adultery, some people claim their partner’s lack of attention for “forcing” them into the arms of another. Was this the case for Samantha? Do you buy that argument? Given the circumstances, do you blame her for getting close to Craig?
9. How do you feel about Bob’s actions (or inaction) throughout the story? Did you find him to be a sympathetic character? What role, if any, do you feel his supposed depression played in the novel?
10. How do you think the story might have changed if Sam had talked candidly with Craig’s wife at the soccer game? If you were in Sam’s shoes, would meeting his wife and child have been enough to prompt you to end the relationship?
11. Was the ending a surprise to you? How would you have changed it? Do you feel there was a way that things could have turned out differently for Cammy? How so?
12. How do you feel about Samantha’s decision at the end of the story? Did she ultimately do the right thing, in your opinion? What other options did she have?
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.á.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
MIRA is a registered trademark of Harlequin Enterprises Limited, used under licence.
Published in Great Britain 2011
MIRA Books, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road,
Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1SR
© elizabeth flock 2011
ISBN 978-1-4089-5110-1
Elizabeth Flock, Sleepwalking in Daylight
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