Prospect Street – Reading Guide
- When Faith’s marriage ends abruptly, she must chart an entirely new course for her life. Is the decision to move to Prospect Street a wise one, or should she have opted for a safer route? Should she have asked her children to make so many changes at once?
- When Remy begins to rebel, Faith is torn between setting limits and giving her daughter enough freedom to grow up and learn from her mistakes. What did you think of Faith as a parent? Should she have handled Remy’s rebellion in a different way?
- At what point in the story should Pavel have revealed his complete identity to Faith? Is it ever fair to keep secrets, or should the truth always be told in its entirety?
- As Faith restores the old row house she begins to put her life in order, as well. As she looks at Pavel’s house, which is brightly painted and innovative, she wonders what her own house says about her. She thinks: “Hemmed in by tradition? Narrow perspective with limited views?” Then she realizes that she prefers another choice: “Integral part of family, neighborhood and history. A keeper of the flame.” Do you think she’s accurate? In what ways does the row house really represent Faith?
- Faith’s relationship with her senator father has always been formal and tense. Should she have cut her ties to the senator or tried to find common ground? What is the line between honoring a parent and holding him or her accountable for bad acts?
- How should Faith have dealt with David’s homosexuality? Should she have been more or less accepting right from the beginning? Were you sympathetic to David’s plight as a conservative Christian struggling with who he really was? Could you forgive him for lying to Faith for so many years?
