This is a historical mystery about ambition, family connections and compromised choices. Kit’s attempt to build an independent life becomes entangled with Nate’s demands, Billy’s absence and secrets reaching into the past.
More about this book
When Kit Corrigan arrives in New York City, she doesn't have much. She's fled from her family in Providence, Rhode Island, and she's broken off her tempestuous relationship with a boy named Billy, who's enlisted in the army. The city doesn't exactly welcome her with open arms. She gets a bit part as a chorus girl in a Broadway show, but she knows that's not going to last very long. Nate Benedict is Billy's father. He's also a lawyer involved in the mob. He makes Kit a deal, he'll give her an apartment and introduce her to a new crowd. All she has to do is keep him informed about Billy, and maybe do him a favor every now and then.
AmbitionThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.Economic vulnerabilityThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.PowerThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.
Consider
Emotional intensityFear and suspenseViolence and harm
Personalised Fit
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Kit seeks a life in New York and Broadway work, but Nate offers housing and employment in exchange for information and favours.AmbiguousAmbiguous: the book leaves its position open to more than one reasonable reading.Ambiguous: the book leaves its position open to more than one reasonable reading.
How the book presents it: The arrangement appears to test whether apparent help can limit independence; Kit’s choices are presented within real material pressure.
Talk about: How freely can Kit choose when housing and work depend on another person’s demands?
Truth, secrecy and responsibility
The story peels back layers of deception and connects family secrets with events that culminate in murder.AmbiguousAmbiguous: the book leaves its position open to more than one reasonable reading.Ambiguous: the book leaves its position open to more than one reasonable reading.
How the book presents it: The book leaves its stance open to more than one reading.
Talk about: If someone’s earlier action contributes to later harm, how should responsibility be understood?
Leaving home and belonging
Kit and Aunt Delia are associated with leaving a suffocating life in Providence, while Jamie describes pressure not to exceed earlier generations.AmbiguousAmbiguous: the book leaves its position open to more than one reasonable reading.Ambiguous: the book leaves its position open to more than one reasonable reading.
How the book presents it: The story appears to take escape and ambition seriously without establishing whether departure, success or return is ultimately affirmed.
Talk about: What might Kit gain or lose by pursuing a life different from her family’s expectations?
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Why It May Be Worth Reading
It may prompt thoughtful discussion about how economic vulnerability affects choice, whether escape brings freedom, and how truth and responsibility operate when adults hold power over a young person.
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What Deserves Attention
Consider reading alongside the child rather than assuming every difficult choice is straightforward. The nonlinear revelations may make it useful to pause and track relationships, promises and what Kit knows at each point.
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A Conversation Worth Having
How does Kit’s need for somewhere to live and work affect the choices she makes? If people reveal only part of the truth, what responsibility do they still have to one another?
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Reading Approach
Before reading, explain that the story includes mob involvement, family deception, a past death and a relationship marked by jealousy. Check in after revelations, and let the reader pause if the uncertainty becomes overwhelming.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Independence and dependence: The ending and the book’s final judgement on Kit’s choices are not established here.
Truth, secrecy and responsibility: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.
Leaving home and belonging: The wider family relationships and eventual outcomes remain unclear.
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