Confess

Owen says, “It’s not a confession if no one reads it. It’s just an unshared secret” (69). How do the differences between confessions and secrets unfold throughout the novel?

Romance novels include obstacles that get in the way of the characters’ chances to be together, and that’s true in Confess. What are Auburn’s and Owen’s obstacles, and how do they create tension?

Hoover is known for including traumatic and realistic contexts for her characters, making her books different from many other Romance books, but also more popular. How well–or not well–do you think trauma ties into romance?

Auburn and Owen find solace in Owen’s art because he creates beauty from the emotional and often painful secrets people leave him in confessions. Do you turn to a form of art to make meaning out of the randomness of life?

Fate or destiny is another romance trope. Do you believe in fate? What evidence is there that Owen’s and Auburn’s relationship was fated?

Auburn narrates, “Selflessness. It should be the basis of every relationship” (271). Do you agree? Are there times when selflessness doesn’t work well in relationships? Are there times when selflessness might be harmful?

Owen tells Auburn that sometimes you must sacrifice a relationship to save it. Do you agree? Are there times when you’ve sacrificed a relationship for this purpose? Are there times you wish you had? What was the result?

Owen tells AJ that keeping secrets makes a man strong. It seems to go against his ethos that secrets are harmful. Why did he say this to AJ?