Who are the Dollangangers? Are they as happy as they seem? Is Cathy really her father's favorite? Why do you suppose the author chose to begin her story with the birth of the twins? What does this exciting time in the Dollanganger family say about them? What does it say about the children's relationship with their father? With their mother?

How does Christopher Dollanganger die? How do the children handle this death? How does the mother handle this death? What changes does Cathy soon begin to notice in her mother? What do these changes suggest about the mother and the family's circumstances? What does the mother tell her children about the letters Cathy sees her writing over and over? Why does the reader suspect there is more to these letters than the mother is saying?

Why does the mother choose to return to her...