Reading group questions for The House on the Cliff
Looking for the next book to read in your book club? These questions about The House on the Cliff by Charlotte Williams will help shape your book club talking points.
Looking for the next book to read in your book club? The House on the Cliff could be it. Charlotte's editors have come up with some questions to get you thinking about it. Happy reading!
1. Discuss the prologue of the book, and how effective this is in opening the novel.
2. Talk about the author's use of language and writing style.
3. Which passage from the book stood out for you the most?
4. What themes does the author explore? Include in your discussion: the difficulties of parenting and the implications of having an affair.
5. Describe the main characters; their personality traits, motivations, inner qualities. Why do they behave in the way they do? Are their actions justified?
6. Discuss the relationship between Gwydion Morgan and his mother.
7. Discuss Jessica's marriage to Bob. Why do you think they are experiencing problems?
8. Talk about the secondary characters. Did any stand out for you?
9. Discuss the ending of the book.
10. Can you compare the themes or characters in this book to any other novels you have read recently?
The House on the Cliff
by Charlotte Williams
Actor Gwydion Morgan's dramatic appearance at Jessica Mayhew's psychotherapy practice coincides with a turbulent time in her own life - her husband has just admitted he's been unfaithful. Her new client is good-looking and talented, but tormented by an intriguing phobia, which Jessica is determined to investigate.
On an emergency visit to the Morgans' remote cliff-top mansion, Jessica discovers that Gwydion's former au pair was mysteriously drowned in the bay nearby. Could the tragedy somehow be linked to Gwydion's disorder?
As the quest to help her client deepens, Jessica finds herself becoming embroiled in the Morgans' poisonous family dynamic. At the same time, she has to deal with the demands of her own domestic life: her struggle to keep her marriage intact, as well as her older daughter's increasingly defiant behaviour. And then, of course, there is the growing attraction she feels towards her new client . . .