What were your initial theories about the secrets Cadie and Daniela share? How did your impressions of the characters shift as more revelations were uncovered?

What were your initial theories about the secrets Cadie and Daniela share? How did your impressions of the characters shift as more revelations were uncovered?

The reader learns early on that there has been a murder and a gun and a reason for the old friends to reunite after a long separation. As the plot unfolded, I found Daniella the more interesting character who was less damaged by the incident “that summer.” Her family ties and situation gave her more conviction.

Cadie, on the other hand, did not share anything about the incident with her parents. In the beginning of the book her parents were, loving and involved and then they became less and less important. I believe that because she did not turn to them the rest of her life was shadowed in negative ways by that event.

One of the main themes of this book was Secrets and the damage they can do to lives. Secrets gathered at a young age usually are secrets based on partial facts and without any mature understanding. In this book everyone was keeping secrets and no one had the complete story. Because of this, bad decisions were made by all of the characters.

(Spoilers in this comment) When we first found out about the gun and the body and then met the Summer Kid, I thought Cadie and Daniela may have accidentally killed him somehow. When we found out they were merely witnesses to a crime their behavior started to make a lot more sense to me--neither of them really seemed like the type to cover up a murder they committed, but keeping quiet about something they heard (rather than saw) made a lo more sense to me.

the keeping of secrets is an integral theme and driving force of the book and keeps the reader engaged. From the beginning with murder til the end there are questions to be answered and the character development depends on how trust is achieved and appreciated.

The secret Daniela and Cadie share is just the beginning of secrets throughout the story and holds the book together.