1. At a certain moment, Echo tells Noah that she feels safe with him. Echo thinks that because of this comforting feeling, she may be able to finally have a full night of peaceful sleep. Why do you think it is important for Echo to feel Safe? and why no one else but Noah has been able to provide this to Echo?
The scariest thing in the world is not an evil monster staring you in the face, but rather the unknown. Echo has a lot of unknown in her life. She can't remember her past and she doesn't have a clear path for her future. Just the idea of lacking memories would naturally make anyone feel weak.
It's also logical that Noah would be able to provide a sense of security for Echo. He isn't connected to her. You'd think that the people she's known and trusted for the longest would be her rocks, but these are the exact people who are causing her the most heartache. Noah is going through similar struggles and also isn't connected to her trauma.
2. Beth, Noah's friend, also have a very complex life situation. Plus she also does drugs. However, what grabs my attention is her mean behavior towards Echo. Why do you think Beth hate/dislikes Echo so much?
I'm not entirely sure why she dislikes Echo. Beth is hard to understand, although I'm really excited to read her story next. I think she really cares about Noah. Not in a romantic way - I don't think she's jealous. She realizes that Noah is a good guy and doesn't want to see him get hurt. And she perceives Echo as being part of a social group that would string Noah along and then toss him out with the trash.
3. At some point, we finally get to know how Noah's parents died at the fire and how it started. Unfortunately, this is something that has happened before. What tips to avoid a fire (specially when there are kids at home) do you now about? List a few recommendations to avoid tragedies are very valuable. :)
Hmmm...just thinking back to elementary school when fire fighters would come in to give us safety training. I think one key thing is to have a family plan. Each member of the family has an escape route and knows it like the back of their hand. Another thing - especially for really young kids - is to show them what a firefighter dressed in gear looks like. I've heard that kids will be terrified when this masked monster comes in to rescue them and will hide. My friend's mom told me that whenever I'm in a hotel, I should immediately count how many doors my room is to the nearest set of stairs. You won't always be able to see in smoke.
4. Echo finally discovers more about what really happened to her the day she got her scars at her mother's place. Unfortunately, this also involved Echo's father and Ashley. What do you think about them and to what point do you think it makes them responsible to what happened to Echo?
I don't think they're totally responsible. While their actions weren't admirable, it's human to get caught up in the moment and want to have some fun. You assume that everything will be fine - because it almost always is. Granted, Echo's father knew that her mother was unstable so had more responsibility to be careful. So in that sense, he bears some responsibility. But their actions go from sort of understandable to deplorable when they tried to cover it up. Just like your mom always said when you were a kid - no matter how bad the deed is, it's a lot worse to lie about it/cover it up.
5 .) On p.303 (from arc) Echo said to Noah: "I love you...[y]ou love your brothers more. I'm okay with that. In fact, it's one of the things I love about you. You were right the other day. I do want to be part of a family. But I'd never forgive myself if I was the reason you didn't get yours... I love you enough to never make you choose." What do you think of Echo's decision to break up with Noah? What does it mean to you?
It shows that Echo really understands Noah - his priorities. Unlike many teenage girls, she doesn't resent that she isn't foremost in her boyfriend's mind. They always say adversity builds character. Echo has learned what really matters. And it's not always the puppy love teenage romance. The real world doesn't stop for a lovesick couple. Especially after the loss of her brother, Echo understands that there's nothing more important than family.
Humans do tend to get caught up and the demands of a teen girl can be difficult, so I did understand even though he was, in the end, irresponsible when looking at it through a parent's eyes. Still... What a hard situation all the way around.
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Awesome questions! First, I agree the scary is unknown. Especially when you have such big decisions to make and you are unsure how they will work out. I adored Echo's respect for Noah. She didn't push herself on him nor did she make it all about her.
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