The Secrets We Kept

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of gender discrimination.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The Secrets We Kept alternates between the perspectives of various characters involved in the Doctor Zhivago affair. How effective did you find this narrative structure in conveying the story’s complexity? Did any particular narrative voice or storyline resonate with you more than others?

2. Lara Prescott’s novel draws heavily on real historical events surrounding the publication of Doctor Zhivago. How did your knowledge (or lack thereof) of these historical events affect your reading experience? How does it compare to other historical fiction works, like Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See or Amor Towles’s A Gentleman in Moscow?

3. The novel portrays espionage work as variously glamorous, dangerous, tedious, and morally ambiguous. Which aspects of the spy world depicted in the novel surprised you most, and how did they challenge or confirm your preconceptions?

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

1. The relationships in the novel are often complicated by external forces—politics, duty, societal expectations, etc. How have external forces shaped your own relationships or important decisions in your life?

2. Loyalty—to country, to lovers, to ideals, etc.—is constantly tested throughout the novel. When have you experienced conflicting loyalties in your own life, and how did you navigate those challenges?

3. Many characters in the novel take significant risks for causes they believe in. What causes or values would you be willing to risk your comfort, safety, or reputation for?

3. Irina struggles with her dual identity, balancing her public “cover” with her private self. This theme of hidden identities appears in many classic spy novels, like John le Carré’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Have you ever felt you were living a double life or presenting different versions of yourself in different contexts? What toll did this take on you?

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

1. The Secrets We Kept explores how nations weaponize art and literature for political purposes. In what ways do you see governments or institutions using cultural products as tools of influence today?

2. The novel portrays the severe costs that artists in totalitarian regimes sometimes pay for their creative expression. How has your understanding of artistic freedom and censorship changed after reading this book?

3. The female typists at the CIA faced systemic discrimination despite their skills and intelligence. How do the gender dynamics portrayed in the novel compare to workplace inequalities that persist today?

Examine technical and thematic elements.

1. The novel frequently employs bird imagery and symbolism—Sally is a “swallow,” Olga dreams of black crows, and Boris is the “cloud dweller.” How does this avian symbolism enhance the themes of freedom, captivity, and communication?

2. How does the motif of clothing and appearance function in the novel? In what ways do characters use clothing as disguise, as expression, and as a form of power?

3. The novel explores different kinds of love—romantic, patriotic, artistic, and familial. How do these various forms of love conflict with and complement each other throughout the narrative?

4. Literature as a Balm and a Weapon is a central theme of the novel. How does Prescott demonstrate both the healing and destructive powers of literature through Boris’s Doctor Zhivago and its impact on various characters?

5. The narrative alternates between first-person and third-person perspectives. How does this shifting narrative technique affect your understanding of the characters and their motivations?

6. The concept of Female Soft Power and Hidden Talent runs throughout the novel. How do the female characters leverage their underestimated positions to exercise influence and agency?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. How would you envision the lives of Sally and Irina 20 years after the novel’s conclusion, specifically regarding their relationship and careers?

2. Suppose you were in charge of propagandizing on behalf of your society. What contemporary book would you select for this purpose in today’s geopolitical landscape, and how would you distribute it to maximize its impact?

3. Which character’s untold backstory would you most want to explore, and what aspects of their life before the novel’s events would you highlight?

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