1. Where is Sarah’s father? Why isn’t he in the house?
2. How can you tell which chapters are written from Sarah’s point of view and which are written from Julia’s point of view?
3. Why does Sarah lock her brother in the cupboard?
4. Who is Mamé?
5. At the bottom of page 13, the concierge has “an odd, gloating expression on her face.” Why does she have this expression? What are her beliefs about Jews?
6. Who is the man who appears in the doorway at the top of page 19?
7. Why do you think the author chose to reveal the man’s identity the way she did?
8. At the top of page 23, why do you think Sarah’s father’s eyes “went wide and strange” when she shows him the key?…show more content… Why do you think the French people are reluctant to discuss the round up of Jews on July 16th, 1942?
10. What do you imagine happened to Léon? Why?
11. At the bottom of page 40, Sarah wonders “if her parents had been right to protect her from everything, if they had been right to keep disturbing, bad news away from her. If they had been right not to explain why so many things had changed for them since the beginning of the war.” Do you think her parents made the right decision? Why or why not?
12. Describe Julia’s relationship with her husband.
13. At the end of the chapter, Sarah promises herself she will return to save her brother. Do you think she will succeed? Why or why not?
14. On page 51, Bertrand asks Julia if her readers will be interested in the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup. He comments, “It’s the past. It’s not something most people want to read about.” Do you agree with his statement? Do you think it is best to leave the past in the past? Why or why not?
15. What is Bertrand’s attitude toward the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup? How does his attitude make Julia feel?
16. On page 54, Julia mentions Amelie. Who do you think Amelie is?…show more content… On page 122, Jules says, “Geneviéve, what have we done?” Why is he so concerned?
25. Julia discovers that people live where Drancy, an internment camp, was, and the train station where trains left for Auschwitz is being used as a day-care center. Do you think it is normal to take places where terrible things happen and change them into new places, or should these places be left as memorials? Why?
26. Pause at page 157 and make a prediction. What do you think happened when Sarah came back and found the Tézac family living in her home?
27. What happened to Sarah’s brother? How does Sarah find out?
28. Edouard’s father (Bertrand’s grandfather) decided to keep Sarah a secret from Mamé, Bertrand, and the rest of his family. Do you think he was right to keep Sarah a secret from his family? Why or why not?
29. Edouard’s father (Bertrand’s grandfather) secretly sent Jules Dufaure money to help Sarah, but he asked Jules not to tell Sarah he was sending the money. Why do you think he didn’t want Sarah to know?
30. Julia is struggling with the idea of living in the apartment now that she knows the truth about it. Could you live there? Why or why
