The Cake HouseLatifah Salom
Vintage, 2015
Fiction
336 pages
Rosaura Douglas's father shot himself after her mother left him . . . or at least that's the story everyone is telling. Now her mother has remarried and Rosie is trapped in "The Cake House," a garish pink edifice in the hills of Los Angeles that's a far cry from the cramped apartment where she grew up. It's also the house where her father died—a fact that everyone else who lives there, including her mother, Dahlia, and her mysteriously wealthy stepfather, Claude, want to forget.
Soon, however, her father's ghost appears, sometimes in a dark window, sometimes in the house’s lush garden, but always with warnings that Claude is not to be trusted. And as the ghost becomes increasingly violent—and the secrets of her family’s past come to light—Rosie must finally face the truth behind the losses and lies that have torn her life apart.
--Description from Amazon
The Cake House proved to have more questions than answers for my group. It's a good option for a book club, though teen to early 30's might be a more appropriate audience.
These questions were created with the assistance of Westfield Memorial Library's Fiction Questions.
The Cake House proved to have more questions than answers for my group. It's a good option for a book club, though teen to early 30's might be a more appropriate audience.
The Cake House Discussion Questions
1. What moral/ethical choices did the characters make? What did you think of these choices? Consider Claude’s business and his relationship to Alex. Also Rosaura’s discovery in the Koi pond at the end of the novel.
2. How would you describe Dahlia and Claude’s relationship?
3. What did you think of the story's development? Was is credible? Why or Why not?
4. Do you think Rosaura ending up with Deputy Mike’s coats was intentional? What were you expecting as a result?
5. Dahlia says, “The life you have is the life you choose.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why? Do you think Dahlia could have made another choice?
6. Does the use of Rosaura’s father’s ghost, Robert, bring to mind any other works? Was it a helpful plot device? How would the story have worked without it?
7. At first, Claude was a bit cold toward Rosaura, forbidding her to attend a luncheon with the “family.” Later he builds her a darkroom. Why do you think his attitude toward her changed?
8. Were there scenes in the book that made you uncomfortable? If so, which scenes led to your discomfort and why did you feel that way?
9. What’s the significance of The Cake House as a title? How does it tie into the idea of the Fisk family home?
10. Do you think Dahlia had more or less freedom after her husband died? Consider the two scenes where Dahlia changes her appearance.
These questions were created with the assistance of Westfield Memorial Library's Fiction Questions.
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