Secret Obsession (15 page)

1. Forgiveness is a virtue, but oftentimes, when people have hurt us, finding the strength to forgive them isn’t easy. Paige’s actions are cruel and destructive, yet her sister, Camille, finds it in her heart to forgive. How do you think Camille is able to do this? Is it for her benefit, Paige’s, or both? If you were in a similar situation, do you think you’d be able to forgive as Camille did? Is it ever okay to put conditions on forgiveness, such as insisting a person go to counseling or stop a certain behavior in order to retain your forgiveness, or must forgiveness be unconditional? 
   
2. While Paige’s scheming pushes her sister’s marriage over the edge, there are already some issues brewing between Camille and Pierce. Camille mentions that Pierce feels she is putting outside activities ahead of her family. While these activities make her happy, she considers giving them up to preserve her family. Do you think Camille is right to continue her activities outside of the home, or should she have given them up the first time Pierce mentioned it? Should Pierce be more supportive of her endeavors, or is he right to want her at home more often? What can a woman who is a wife and mother do to find balance between her family life and her personal life?
   
3. Infidelity can be difficult to overcome in a marriage. Camille and Pierce are able to get past her perceived affair and his actual one; however, Andrea isn’t able to forgive Derrick for his cheating. What are some of the reasons Camille and Pierce are able to stay together while Andrea and Derrick divorce? Setting aside a scheming sister-in-law manipulating the situation, is adultery ever excusable? If you were in a relationship where your partner had been unfaithful, what would you need him or her to do in order to move beyond the affair and rebuild trust? 
   
4. Are Camille and Pierce right to keep the truth from their children early on in their separation, or should they be completely honest with them from the beginning? What are some of the ramifications that a parent’s affair might have for his or her children? 
   
5. Paige, by her own admission, uses Owen for her personal gain, but as Owen later admits, she is far from the only woman to have ever taken advantage of his generosity. Do you think Owen’s reactions—first demanding Paige repay him for the money he spent on her, then telling Camille what he knows—are justified? If a woman accepts gifts or money from a man she’s dating, is she under any obligation to him? 
   
6. At the end of the story, Maxine admits she was never able to love Paige because of the circumstances under which Paige was conceived. Paige’s doctor adds that because Maxine never sought counseling after her own rape, she never dealt with the trauma, and that made her behavior toward Paige worse. Does this excuse Maxine’s poor treatment of Paige? Do you think Maxine made the right choice by keeping her baby, or would Paige have been better off if Maxine had given her up for adoption? How might Paige’s life have been different if she had been raised in a different home? Would she still have the same mental issues she does now, or do you think a more nurturing environment might have helped her? 
   
7. Siblings raised in the same house can sometimes have very different experiences during childhood. For example, Paige remembers mostly hardship and anger, while Camille remembers nothing but a loving, happy family. Why do you think it was so difficult for Camille to notice what was happening to Paige when they were young? If you have siblings, can you think of any example of how your individual perceptions color the memory of an event? 
   

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