READERS GUIDE
"Altogether enchanting. . . . Anyone susceptible to the sorcery of books is likely to fall under the spell of this one." —The Philadelphia InquirerThe introduction, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading that follow are designed to stimulate your group’s discussion of The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay.
Introduction
Eighteen years old and completely alone, Rosemary arrives in New York from Tasmania with little other than her love of books and an eagerness to explore the city. Taking a job at a vast, chaotic emporium of used and rare books called the Arcade, she knows she has found a home. But when Rosemary reads a letter from someone seeking to “place” a lost manuscript by Herman Melville, the bookstore erupts with simmering ambitions and rivalries. Including actual correspondence by Melville, The Secret of Lost Things is at once a literary adventure and evocative portrait of a young woman making a life for herself in the city.Questions and Topics for Discussion
1. In the novel’s opening pages, Rosemary tells us she was born on Anzac Day, commemorating the death of soldiers from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli. How is she affected by knowing this? What does April 25 signify in both the opening and closing chapters?
2. What transformations take place between each of the book’s four sections? How did your impressions of Rosemary change throughout the novel?
3. What motivated Chaps to send Rosemary to New York? In what ways was she different from Rosemary’s mother? Which friends become Rosemary’s “foster mothers” after she travels to New York?
4. Discuss the dynamics of the Arcade’s employees. What is the nature of the antagonism between Robert Mitchell and George Pike? What is Walter Geist’s role in that triangle? What role does memory play in the operation of the Arcade?
5. What does Pearl teach Rosemary about being a woman? In Pearl’s eyes, what differences exist between the way men and women behave? How does Rosemary react to the many points of view about gender and sex she encounters in her new city?
6. In what way is Moby Dick an effective choice in metaphor for this novel? How does Rosemary survive her voyage?
7. What observations are made about power and love throughout The Secret of Lost Things? What is the nature of Geist’s infatuation with Rosemary? What does Rosemary discover about negotiating desire when Oscar rejects her?
8. How do money and integrity shape Rosemary’s fate? What is a “gift” and what is an “obligation”? How do collectors like Julian Peabody, and known thieves like Redburn, influence the value of creative works?
9. Discuss the underlined portions of W. H. Auden’s poetry that Rosemary discovers near the end of chapter sixteen. If the book had indeed been left as a message for her, what was the implication (and the reality) of the line “All we are not stares back at what we are,” which was drawn from Auden’s poetic homage to The Tempest?
10. In what way does New York serve as a character in the novel? How does the Arcade itself act as a character, as a metaphor?
11. How do Rosemary and Lillian face the loss of a beloved relative and the loss of a homeland differently? How have these losses shaped their attitudes toward life?
12. What did you believe about The Isle of the Cross? Besides literal blindness, what other types of impaired vision make humans vulnerable to being duped? Who (or what) was responsible for Geist’s death?
13. Do you agree with Chaps’s statement in the opening scenes when she tells Rosemary’s mother that “books aren’t lumps of paper but minds on shelves. After all, hats aren’t books-people don’t need them”? What is it about the commodity of used books that makes the Arcade special? Is there a book that ‘changed’ you?
14. Whether within a city or across an ocean, which moves were the most significant ones in your life? Is there a faraway place you dream of, as Rosemary dreamed of Manhattan? Have you ever had Rosemary’s experience of creating an entirely new life for yourself?
15. Ultimately, what is the secret of lost things? How can we regain what we lose, or cope with never finding them again? What sorts of things, or people or emotions, are lost and found in the novel? Which secrets were destructive, and which were necessary?
