I pick up my pillow and lob it at the window. It stops chirping, turns its tiny head, and looks at me. The point is, it can fly away whenever it wants. It hops back and forth, wings spread and flapping, but has zero intention of taking off. I’m going to kill the damn blackbird sitting on my windowsill, chirping and squeaking at the top of its lungs. What about Norah’s story feels most relatable to you, and what personal insights (if any) have you taken away from the read? Despite Norah’s specific mental health concerns, some of her biggest challenges are very universal – dealing with a feeling of being an outsider and learning to accept herself as she is (flaws and all). How does Norah’s mom deal with her mental health? How does this contrast from the way Luke deals with Norah’s mental health?Ĩ. How does Luke impact Norah’s life as their relationship begins? What aspects of Luke’s life make him sympathetic towards Norah’s mental health? If these aspects didn’t exist, how do you think he might treat Norah differently?ħ. Would you consider Norah and Doctor Reeves’s relationship to be healthy? Does Doctor Reeves reinforce your existing opinion of therapists and therapy, or does it change it? If so, how?Ħ. What are some of the different ways each of these individuals (and Norah’s responses to these characters) offer unique insight to Norah’s character?ĥ. Talk about Norah’s support system (her mother, Doctor Reeves, and Luke).

What reasons does she give for doing this? Are the reasons she gives for hurting herself what you’d expect?Ĥ. In Under Rose-Tainted Skies, we see Norah commit self-harm. What is your take on her use of humor to adapt to her circumstances and the positives and negatives of this behavior?ģ. Norah immediately displays a smart sense of humor both about her situation and about the world around her. Initially, how does Norah think the outside world perceives her (and her mental illness), and what does that say about her as a character?Ģ. Talk a little about Norah’s own description of her agoraphobia and OCD throughout the novel.

Under rose tainted skies