Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
- Through the eyes of these two young women, we get a pretty modern view of
the world. What then, do you make of the rather traditional ending: the
fairy-tale marriage that seems to embody all the hopes of the future? Do you
think the author is playing with this concept, or using it to offset her
rather un-traditional story line?
- The author utilizes a rather unusual technique when she tells the story
through shifting points of view. How did this affect your reading of the
story? Why might the author have chosen to do this? Do you think there are
insights that could only have come out through multiple perspectives, or do
you think the author wanted the ambiguity and clashing perspective that
shifting points of view can elicit in a reader?
- In many ways, this is really a story about growth, change, and
transformation. Discuss the ways that virtually all of the characters alter
their old, comfortable ways of being, acting, and thinking (or lack of
thinking, in Maggie's case) throughout the course of this story. How easy
does it seem for the characters to change? Would you consider intense pain
or disillusionment (with a person or a job) to be the main catalyst for much
of this change, or do you think something else sparks it?
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- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Washington Square Press.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.