The Therapist

The novel's main narrative is interspersed with Interludes from the therapist’s past. How does this structure contribute to the reader’s experience? How does it reflect some of the novel’s key themes and ideas?

Alice states, “Living with Nina’s ghost isn’t easy” (127). Discuss the dual meaning of this statement. How does it relate to the theme of The Repercussions of the Past? In what ways are some of the other characters “haunt by the past?

A central theme of the novel is Trust and Betrayal. How does Paris explore this theme via different types of relationships in the narrative?

How does The Therapist exemplify the tropes of the psychological thriller? What literary devices does Paris use to build a tense, menacing atmosphere? In what ways, if any, does the author diverge from or subvert these tropes?

Explore the depiction of community in the novel. How are exclusive communities portrayed? What does the novel suggest about the relationships and dynamics within small, exclusive communities?

The novel’s protagonist reveals that she was named after the heroine from Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland. What are the similarities and differences between the two fictional Alices? What is the wider significance of the allusion in the text?

Analyze the novel’s depiction of gender dynamics. How are romantic relationships/marriages portrayed in the novel? How do these dynamics illustrate the novel's key themes and ideas?

Explore the idea of guilt and atonement in the text. What role do these elements play in the text? What different forms do they take in the lives of the characters?