The Writing Retreat

Describe Wren and Alex’s friendship. How does it initiate? What brings about its end? Why do they decide to go their separate ways? What do they learn about themselves via the friendship?

Comment on the role of Blackbriar Estate in this narrative. How does it adhere to Gothic literary conventions? Does Blackbriar challenge or complicate those conventions? Explain your reasoning with examples from the text.

Describe the role of the occult in The Writing Retreat. What literary function do ghost stories serve in this novel? How does it employ the supernatural as a mechanism for character development?

Describe the relationship between the women at the writing retreat. What are their motivations for writing, and for participating in this specific writing retreat? What physical details reveal similarities and differences between their personalities, and why are these details important for unfolding the plot? How do their reactions to Roza’s machinations reveal their characters and enable the advancement of subplots?

What literary purpose do the included excerpts from books and articles play in The Writing Retreat? As compared to these, does Alex’s novel-in-progress play a unique role? Why or why not?

Comment on the narrative importance of Lamia, in both The Great Commission and The Writing Retreat. How does Lamia influence the relationship between Alex and Daphne? How does Lamia shape the relationship between Alex, Taylor, and Roza?

In what ways is female sexuality significant to this novel and its themes? How does the novel’s portrayal of female sexuality change as the narrative develops?

How is the act of writing described in the book? How does the act of appropriation inform or distort the act of writing? Is there a difference between appropriation and plagiarism? How might Roza answer these questions? How might Alex answer these questions?