Many of the memories and traditions shared in The Secret of Snow are inspired by the author’s own life. What are your favorite holiday traditions and why? What memories do they conjure?
People either love or hate snow in the winter. What are your feelings about it? Are you a summer or a winter person? Do you have any favorite winter activities?
Loss plays a major role in The Secret of Snow and can often amplify our feelings of loneliness and sadness. Has the loss of someone in your life affected the way you celebrate the holidays?
How have you coped (or not coped) with the loss of a loved one?
Sonny and her mother have a wonderfully complicated relationship. They love one another deeply, but the pain they’ve experienced has made Sonny build a wall around her heart. What is or was your relationship with your mother like? What made it that way?
Sonny and Lisa are what we might refer to as frenemies. Have you ever had a frenemy? How did they hurt you? Or how did you hurt them? Did you ever repair your friendship?
Some of the author’s dear friends are meteorologists, and he always thought if he wasn’t an author, he might have been be a meteorologist like Sonny! What career or lifestyle might you have chosen if you weren’t doing what you’re doing now?
Do you believe women are treated differently than men in the workplace, especially women “of a certain age” like Sonny? Do you have any personal experiences to draw from?
Society often treats women in the media (celebrities, TV personalities) differently than it treats men. Do you agree that we judge women more harshly based solely on their appearance? Discuss.
In the novel, Mason lost his wife to depression. Have you known anyone with depression? How did you try to help? How did their illness impact you?
Have you or a friend ever experienced a later-in-life romance like Sonny and Mason?
Have you ever been to Michigan or Palm Springs? What are your impressions of these two beautiful locations that are so special to Sonny (and to the author!)?