The Obsession

How do Naomi’s and Mason’s contrasting coping mechanisms—artistic expression versus analytical study—reflect broader questions about whether survivors should confront or transcend their past experiences?

How does Roberts employ romantic suspense to explore inherited trauma and identity reconstruction while balancing the genre’s requirements for external danger and romantic resolution?

The novel presents two contrasting models of masculinity through Thomas and Xander. How does Roberts use these characters to explore different expressions of power, control, and protection in relationships with women?

How does Roberts demonstrate that secrets function as both protective mechanisms and prisons, with the same information simultaneously shielding and isolating depending on how it is held and shared?

How does Roberts use geographical progression—from West Virginia to Washington, DC, to New York to Washington State—to illustrate Naomi’s psychological journey? Analyze how each location represents a different stage in her attempt to escape and ultimately integrate her traumatic past.

Examine the role of creative work in the novel, particularly how Naomi’s photography and Xander’s music serve different functions in their creators’ and audiences’ psychological lives. How does Roberts distinguish between art as healing versus art as exploitation?

Analyze how Roberts portrays the relationship between individual trauma and community response throughout the novel. How do the reactions of various communities—from the initial West Virginia setting to Sunrise Cove—reflect broader societal attitudes toward survivors and their families?

How does the novel’s treatment of surveillance and observation—from Thomas’s photographs to Anson’s use of Naomi’s professional photography—explore questions about power, consent, and the ethics of the gaze? What does Roberts suggest about who has the right to look and document?