The Rom-Commers

Charlie has been seriously ill twice in his life, and both times, important women in his life abandoned him. How do these circumstances impact his relationship with Emma? Does this influence what he tells her in the video at the end of the novel?

Analyze a minor character from the text, such as Margaux, T.J., or Donna Cole. What is their significance within The Rom-Commers, and how do they expand upon the novel’s themes or plot points?

A few characters from Center’s other novel, The Bodyguard, appear in The Rom-Commers. Is there any significance to these inclusions? What does knowing that Center’s novels take place in the same universe say about The Rom-Commers and the characters within?

At the end of the novel, Charlie changes the name of the screenplay he and Emma are working on. How does the change of title reflect Charlie’s views on the screenplay? Why is it significant that the screenplay’s title, like the novel’s, is The Rom-Commers?

What does Charlie’s misdiagnosis at the end of the novel reveal about his character and his relationship with Emma?

How does the novel’s exploration of topics like death, grief, and illness contribute to its overall tone? Why might Center have addressed this topic in a romance novel?

Though Charlie’s guinea pig Cuthbert only appears in a few scenes, he is very important to Charlie. What role does Cuthbert play in the novel? Does he influence the novel’s themes or Charlie and Emma’s relationship?

Center uses many common tropes of contemporary romance novels. Do any of these tropes subvert the conventions of the romance genre? Analyze at least two to three examples from the text to support your opinion.