As Bellevue Hospital suggests, setting can be symbolic. Evaluate another place in the novel, such as Central Park or Potter’s Field. What does that place represent?

The novel introduces Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders at the Rue Morgue” (1841) as a model for investigation. Compare and contrast Poe’s hero, Dupin, with Una. Why might Skenandore have inserted this particular story into Una’s narrative?

Una Kelly experiences two vastly different world as a thief and as a nurse trainee. Consider how the worlds of crime and nursing are presented as parallel systems in the novel. What additional theme might be implied as a result of this comparison?

The tourniquet presents a paradox, for although it is a life-saving tool, Conor McCready uses it to kill others. What other paradoxes exist in the narrative? Why are they significant?

What is the tone of The Nurse’s Secret? Does it remain static or does it ever shift?

Consider minor characters like Barney Harris, Superintendent Perkins, or Nurse Cuddy. How do they impact Una and shape her values?

The first 10 chapters of The Nurse’s Secret systematically strip Una of her support system through a series of betrayals. How could the second half of the narrative be described from a structural perspective?

Consider other items that appear periodically throughout the narrative, such as cuff links, the ambulance bell, or boots. How are they symbolic?