All Her Little Secrets

Did you like the book? Why or why not?

This story switches back and forth between Ellice’s childhood in Chillicothe, Georgia and the present situation in Atlanta. Did you like the time shifts? Why or why not?

Did you like the pacing of the book? Did it keep you interested? Why or why not?

Why do you think Ellice ran when she found Michael’s body? Do you think the situation have been different if she had stayed?

Ellice is a lawyer. Did you find the way she handled the situation and her interactions with the police to be believable? Why or why not?

Despite what she says in the book, do you think Ellice actually did love Michael? Do you think her feelings were a factor in any of her decisions?

What do you think made Ellice so driven when it came to school and her career? Was she equally focused on other aspects of her life (e.g. friendships, romance, family)?

What did you think of the sibling relationship between Sam and Ellice? Do you think Ellice was responsible for Sam’s problems and/or could she have prevented them?

Ellice gives some leeway to Willow towards the end of the book despite some of her complicity in what happened at Houghton. What do you think Ellice’s thought process was? Do you agree or disagree with her?

Ellice encounters Detective Bradford multiple times in the story. What do you think of these two characters? Do you think they’re in similar positions or are they purely antagonists?

What do you think of Vera’s philosophy of “saving the babies”?

Do you think Nate was complicit in the schemes at Houghton?

What do you think of Ellice’s decision to leave everything behind and take care of Vera?

How do you think the author handled the tougher topics in the book, such as racism, sexism, and abuse?

Why do you think this story took place in Atlanta, Georgia and not any other city?

There was a lot of discussion about family in the book whether it was the “Houghton family” or Ellice’s personal relationships with Sam, Vera, Martha, Rudy and Grace. What do you think of the theme of family in this book and how do you define it?

Did you expect the ending of the book? Or did you have a completely different idea of how the story was going to end?

Did the ending of the book offer the closure you wanted? Were you satisfied or disappointed by the way the book ended?

A reoccurring theme in our books is the grey area between the law and each character’s moral code. Was what happened to Hardy King right? What about what happened to Willie Jay? Could either of the situations been handled in a different way?