Slow Dance

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Shiloh and Cary reconnect after 14 years apart at their friend’s wedding. Have you ever experienced a meaningful reunion with someone from your past?

2. In what ways do you relate to Shiloh’s tendency to create emotional barriers for self-protective?

3. Both protagonists come from homes without fathers present and with complicated maternal relationships. What influence have your own family dynamics had on your approach to romantic relationships?

4. Cary’s military career creates significant challenges for their relationship. What strategies have you found effective when navigating long-distance relationships or career demands?

5. Shiloh describes herself as a “nonpracticing bisexual” who discovers aspects of her sexuality later in life. What experiences have you had with understanding new dimensions of your identity in adulthood?

6. The novel portrays the complex realities of co-parenting after divorce. What insights did this aspect of the story provide about blended families and step-parenting relationships?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. What does Slow Dance reveal about the unique challenges faced by military families in contemporary society?

2. How has technology changed the way people maintain connections in long-distance relationships since Shiloh and Cary’s high school years in the early 2000s?

3. Shiloh feels somewhat embarrassed about her career path at a children’s theater compared to others’ professional achievements. What does this reveal about societal expectations regarding success and fulfillment?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Music plays an important role throughout Slow Dance, from the characters singing songs containing each other’s names to the references Rowell makes to the soundtrack at pivotal moments in the plot. What emotional effect do these musical elements have on the narrative?

2. What significance does the motif of memory have in the novel?

3. Trace the evolution of dancing as a symbol, from Shiloh’s resistance at prom to their wedding reception at the end of the novel.

4. Physical touch is a primary language between Shiloh and Cary from their teenage years through adulthood. In what ways does touch reveal what they cannot express in words?

5. The novel explores different kinds of love through various relationships, including friends, lovers, parents, and children. How do these relationships collectively contribute to the book’s exploration of love’s complexity?

6. Rowell uses dual third-person narration to give readers access to both protagonists’ perspectives. What insights does this provide that would be lost with a single point of view?