The Mirror

Sonya and Cleo often discuss The Importance of Bearing Witness to the deaths of the brides. Why is it important to Sonya that she see and remember their deaths? Illustrate your answer with textual examples.

A magical mirror is an important plot device in the novel. Can you think of other narratives, such as a fairy tale, novel, or film, that use a magical mirror as a motif or a symbol? Compare and contrast the use of the mirror in those narratives and Nora Roberts’s novel.

Hester Dobbs often suddenly creeps up on Sonya, in a move known as a “jump-scare.” The jump-scare is a popular convention in Gothic fiction and film. Research three other Gothic horror tropes and discuss how they are used in the novel. Please illustrate your answer with examples from the text.

While bloodlines and legacy are important in the universe of the novel, the narrative also emphasizes the power of found and chosen families. Explore the significance of the found families in the novel, using the examples of any three chosen family units in the text. Please provide textual examples to support your answer.

Sonya calls Trey “a sweet man,” comparing him to her father who was also “a sweet man. Not a pushover, not—what’s the word for it? Treacly” (359). How does the description of the male lead as a “sweet man” challenge the trope of the conventional romantic hero?

The novel features several references to popular culture, particularly music and movies. Select any five such allusions and discuss how they enrich your understanding of the themes, characters, or settings of the novel. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Each of the four main characters has a pet animal by the end of the novel, and the animals are an essential part of their lives. Give three reasons why the text gives such a central role to animals, supporting your answer with examples from the novel.

Apart from the brides’ portraits, the novel also describes Cleo’s mermaid painting, Sonya’s painting of the manor, and Cleo’s mural in Anna’s nursery. Explore three different ways in which art operates in the narrative, supporting your answer with textual examples.