To the book bloggers, whose generosity and love of the written word keep readers engaged and reading. Special thanks to Susan “Queenie” Peterson, Kathy Murphy （a.k.a. the Pulpwood Queen）， Kate Rock, Annie McDowell, Denise Birt, Linda Gagnon, and Susan Leopold. You all are nothing short of amazing.
To my fabulous colleagues at Blue Sky Book Chat, Patricia Sands, Alison Ragsdale, Marilyn Simon Rothstein, Bette Lee Crosby, Soraya Lane, Lainey Cameron, Aimie K. Runyan, and Christine Nolfi: thanks for the fun and the friendship and for your unending support during this very hairy year!
To the lovely and talented Kerry Schafer, colleague, admin, and most of all, friend. Thank you for all of it. The brainstorming, the hand-holding, the creative input, the positivity, and the gentle nudge when I needed it. You should have a cape made. （Seriously.）
To the ladies of the Glitter Girls Book Club, who I was forced to leave when I moved to Florida. Thanks for the fun. You will be missed （but not forgotten）！
To my mom, Patricia Crawford, who continues to be my biggest and loudest cheerleader. Thank you for the shoulder and our 6:00 p.m. chats. Love you to the moon and back!
And finally to Tom, my newly retired husband （though all he’s done since leaving work is pack boxes and unpack boxes）。 Thank you for carrying the load and giving me space to write while our lives were temporarily turned upside down. There are not enough ways to say thank you, but I hope I show you every day.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Psychometry is defined as the ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching objects associated with them. Would you view that kind of ability as a gift or a burden? If you could have that ability, but limited to only one type of object, what object would you choose and why?
Ashlyn has come to see her work in the bindery as a vocation, a sacred calling. How are rebinding and book repair used throughout the story as metaphors for healing emotional wounds?
On the surface, Ashlyn and Marian are vastly different women, but on an emotional level, they share some similarities. In what ways do Ashlyn’s and Marian’s characters mirror one another?
How does Ashlyn’s personal history with love and romantic relationships influence her need to immerse herself in Belle and Hemi’s relationship? How did her experiences help connect her to Belle on a visceral and emotional level?
It’s often said that forgiveness is more about our own healing than about letting someone who caused us pain or harm off the hook. Do you subscribe to this theory? If so, do you believe there are circumstances in which forgiveness is simply not possible, or should we always strive to forgive, no matter how severe the transgression?
Throughout the book, Ashlyn is plagued by a troublesome scar on the palm of her right hand. What does the scar symbolize for her at the beginning of the novel? By the end of the novel, how has the scar’s significance changed for her?
Both Hemi and Belle admit that they chose to cling to their anger rather than allow themselves to experience the deep grief they felt at losing one another. Have there been times in your own life when you held on to anger in order to mask deeper emotional wounds? If so, do you regret the choice?
How does the issue of trust—or the lack of it—play into the relationships between Ashlyn and Ethan and Belle and Hemi? Discuss the events in both women’s lives that might have contributed to their inability to trust.
Marian and Corinne have a deeply conflicted relationship. Marian still harbors feelings of rejection and betrayal. Corinne is an extension of her father, cold and controlling. But by the end of the book, the power dynamic has shifted, giving Marian the upper hand. And yet, despite Corinne’s admissions, Marian offers an olive branch of sorts. Why do you think she made this choice rather than clinging to her outrage, and under the circumstances, would you have been able to do the same?
Early on, Ashlyn tells Ethan she’s never done anything brave, but by the end of the book, she seems to have a new idea about what the word means. Discuss how and why you feel her opinion of her own bravery has changed.