The Secret Keeper

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of physical abuse, emotional abuse, and death.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The dual-timeline narrative allows the story to unfold from the perspective of Laurel’s modern investigation and the events of 1941 London. How did this structure affect your reading experience and your emotional connection to the characters?

2. The major twist reveals that Dorothy is actually Vivien, not Dolly. At what point did you suspect this twist, if at all? How does this compare to the revelations in Morton’s The Lake House, which also features long-buried family secrets?

3. The Secret Keeper explores how imagination and fantasy function both as coping mechanisms and as forms of self-deception. Which character’s relationship with imagination did you find most compelling—Dolly’s grandiose fantasies, Vivien’s protective daydreams, or Laurel’s creative ambitions—and why?

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

1. Dolly uses her imagination to escape her circumstances and invent a more glamorous life for herself. In what ways have you used imagination or storytelling to cope with difficult situations or to envision a different future?

2. Both Vivien and Dolly lose their families during wartime, though they process this grief very differently. What are some of the ways that you have coped with significant loss? 

3. Laurel carries the secret of her mother’s violent act for 50 years, creating a distance between herself and her siblings. Have you ever kept a significant secret from loved ones? How did that decision affect your relationships?

4. Throughout the story, characters must make difficult moral choices to protect themselves or others. Which character’s decisions did you most identify with, and why?

5. Dorothy/Vivien builds her new life on a foundation of love and family after escaping her abusive husband. What do you believe are the most important foundations for rebuilding one’s life after profound disruption?

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

1. The novel depicts the Blitz in London as a time of both devastating loss and remarkable resilience. How does Morton’s portrayal of wartime London compare to other historical accounts or fiction set in WWII, and what insights does it offer about how societies respond to crisis?

2. The domestic violence Vivien experiences is hidden behind a facade of wealth and social standing. How can social class and appearances mask abuse? How has society’s approach to domestic violence changed since the 1940s?

3. Women during WWII took on new roles out of necessity—in the novel, Dolly works in the munitions factory and the various women volunteer with the WVS. How did the war change gender expectations, and what lasting impact did these changes have on women’s roles in society?

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

1. Morton employs various literary devices like red herrings and foreshadowing to build suspense. Which of these techniques did you find most effective, and how did they contribute to your engagement with the mystery?

2. Why do photographs frequently appear in the novel? How do they advance the plot and connect various timelines in the story? What do they symbolize and how do they reveal character motivations?

3. The novel often alludes to children’s literature, particularly Peter Pan. How do these references enhance the themes of imagination, lost childhood, and finding one’s true identity?

4. Many of Morton’s novels, including The Secret Keeper and The Forgotten Garden, feature protagonists who uncover family secrets from the past. How does this theme differ or remain consistent across these works?

5. Dolly exemplifies what literary critics call hamartia or “tragic flaw”: an overriding aspect of personality that drives a character to tragedy or ruin. How do her ambition and fantasy-driven nature ultimately lead to her downfall, and what does this suggest about the nature of self-deception?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Would Dorothy’s life story make a compelling film or television adaptation? Which actors would you cast to play the main characters across the different time periods, and why would they be right for these complex roles?

2. The novel ends with Laurel and Gerry agreeing to keep their mother’s secret. Write a brief letter from Laurel to her future nieces and nephews that might be opened after her death, explaining why she made this choice.

3. The farmhouse at Greenacres plays a significant role as a sanctuary in the novel. Design your own perfect sanctuary space that would provide the same sense of safety and belonging for someone escaping their past. What elements would be essential to include?

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