Keeper of Enchanted Rooms

Examine Keeper of Enchanted Rooms as part of the tradition of the haunted house or ghost story, a popular genre in American literature. What conventions or elements does the book have in common with this genre? How has Holmberg changed or twisted certain conventions to her own uses?

Discuss Silas’s role in the novel as villain and antagonist but also as a possible foil to Merritt and, additionally, mentor and aid to Myra. If you were to argue that he is a formulaic or stock character—the stereotype of the villain—what evidence provides the basis for your claim?

Analyze the story as a romance with a focus on the developing relationship between Hulda and Merritt. What conventions of the romance plot does Holmberg utilize, and to what effect? What does this romance plot add to the novel overall?

Examine Whimbrel House as a character and make an argument for what you think the house comes to represent. Of the different roles that the house plays in the novel, what aspects do you find more convincing, and why?

Explore the setting of Blaugdone Island, paying particular attention to how the natural and wilder elements are described in the novel. What does Whimbrel House being remote and unspoiled add to the story? What contrast does this provide to the action that takes place in the more urban areas of the novel?

Discuss Merritt’s character arc and how you think his personal issues around abandonment play out in the context of the novel. What larger themes or messages of the novel does his character arc connect to?

Examine the character of Owein and the several roles he plays during the book. What does Owein come to represent?

Read further novels in the Whimbrel House series and examine the shared themes or connections among the books. How do the characters change or grow? What elements are retained, and which are changed? What themes does Holmberg continue to develop?