Arrowood Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, House Architectural Styles and our BookBrowse Review of Arrowood.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. How has Arden's past shaped her into the person she is at the beginning of the novel?
2. The novel is set in Keokuk, Iowa, a town on the Mississippi River. At one time it was a prosperous town, but now many of its beautiful homes are neglected and deteriorating. How does the setting contribute to the overall story?
3. Arden's mother warned her that it was a mistake to go back to Arrowood, saying it was best left in the past, and that if Arden was smart she'd "pray for an electrical fire and a swift insurance payout." But Arden insists that she "had loved this house beyond reason, had felt its absence like the ache of a poorly set bone." Discuss the role that the house plays in the novel.

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Spiegel & Grau. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.