- Carol is hard to read. What does Therese admire about her? What is she attracted to? How do you feel about Carol? Is she complex or overly complicated?
- What will happen to Therese and Carol after the book ends? What challenges will they face? Will they be happy together?
- How are same-sex relationships different in the 1950s, when the book is set, than in present day? What's changed about society's attitude toward same-sex couples, and what remains the same?
- Why do Therese and Carol leave New York City? What do they learn and experience on their trip that they would never have seen in the city?
- Why do you think Patricia Highsmith published this novel under a pen name?
- What makes this book a classic? Why is it still being read today? What can people today relate to in the novel? What has changed since the novel was written in the 1950s?
- What modern books and movies do you think were inspired by The Price of Salt?
- How would the story be different if it were two men—say, Terry and Carlo—instead of two women?