The Couple Next Door

The kidnapping plot requires Anne to agree to leave the baby alone in the house for an evening, a decision Anne is reluctant to make despite her desire for adult company. Research postpartum depression and assess how Anne’s ambivalent feelings reflect her diagnosis.

Discuss the multiple points of view. For instance, what impact does the chapter in which Marco admits he kidnapped Cora have on the novel as a traditional mystery? Alternatively, consider the chapter from Alice’s point of view when Richard’s affair is revealed (Chapter 35). How do these narrative shifts both create and solve the mystery?

Marco declares multiple times how much he loves his daughter. How do you square those protestations with his part in Cora’s kidnapping? What motivates Marco? Does the ending, in which Cora is returned to Marco, seem a happy ending?