The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson

Cecily, Clarissa, Liz, Kate and Molly each have very particular ideas about what it means to be a mother. How are the different characters’ ideas about this different or the same, and how are they confirmed – or called into question – by the end of the novel?

Even though Cecily doesn’t initially want to be part of the circus, she’s happy to have Isabelle as her “sister,” even ultimately telling Lucky that Isabelle is “more like a sister than most real sisters could ever be.” Do you think Isabelle ever feels the same about Cecily? Why do you think Isabelle betrays Cecily? Were you surprised that she did?

The question of identity and where she comes from consumes Lana, while Kate and Clarissa each have their own ways of thinking about (or not thinking about) the mysteries in their family. What did you think of their different ways of handling the situation? Is it important to you to know where you come from and understand your family’s stories? Why or why not?

Cecily is naïve in many ways and often maintains her ability to hope for what she wishes for (“believing in impossible things”) despite having no evidence at all that she should. How do these traits serve her? How do they hurt her? Do you think she loses them along the way, and if so, when?

Cecily goes by different names at different points in her life. How do you think this helps her to survive, and how does it affect how she goes about leaving the past behind when it becomes clear that she must? Do you think that she knows who she is? Or does she come to believe that identity is malleable? Are her name changes just a way of adapting to circumstances that she has no control over, or do you think they’re more deliberate than that?

How did you feel by the end when all the secrets and lies were revealed? Did you think that Cecily’s lies over the years were justifiable?

Which character did you identify with the most? The least?

In the novel, some things (and people) are lost forever, while some things (and people) are found or return. What do you think is the novel’s overall message about separation and loss versus reclamation and reunion? Are each equally possible? What dictates in which direction the pendulum will swing?