About the Author

Sarah Dessen grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and attended UNC-Chapel Hill, graduating with highest honors in Creative Writing. Several of her books have been chosen by the American Library Association as Best Books for Young Adults, and her sixth novel, The Truth About Forever, was voted a YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Teen Top Ten book. Her first two books, That Summer and Someone Like You, were the basis for the movie How to Deal, starring Mandy Moore. Her seventh novel, Just Listen, was published in April 2006 and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 18 weeks. She lives in Chapel Hill with her family.

Discussion Questions

1. Ruby wears the key to her yellow house on her neck. Why is this key so important to her? Does it represent independence or dependence?
2. Early in the book, Ruby doesn't seem overly upset by her mother's abandonment. She says, "I wasn't sure I even wanted to talk to her or see her, nor did I know if I ever would. But it was important to simply be sought, even if you didn't ever want to be found." Do you agree with Ruby? Do you think her reaction is typical? Why do you think Ruby's mother left so suddenly?
3. How are Ruby and Cora affected differently by their shared childhood?
4. Ruby says, "Everything was just temporary anyway. Me being there, or here. Or anywhere, for that matter." In what ways is everything temporary for Ruby? How does this affect her relationships? What does this feeling stem from?
5. Sarah Dessen often brings characters back from past novels. Who appears in Lock and Key? What is the significance of Rogerson?
6. Did Ruby make the right choice in not helping Nate right away? Should she have acted sooner? How does her relationship with Nate help her?
7. How is Ruby's relationship with her friends from Jackson (Marshall and Peyton) different from her relationship with her friends from Perkins Day (Nate and Olivia)?
8. In describing her relationship with her mother, Ruby says, "Only a weak person needed someone else around all the time." Do you think this is true? How has Ruby's enforced independence affected her?
9. What is the significance of Jamie's pond? What does this tell us about his character? How is the pond an allegory for Ruby's life?