Book Club Discussion Questions
For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Ayelet Waldman and our BookBrowse Review of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits.
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
For
Emilia Greenleaf, life is by turns a comedy of errors and an
emotional mine field. Yes, she's a Harvard Law grad who married
her soul mate. Yes, they live in upper-class comfort on the
Upper West Side of Manhattan. But with her one-and-only, Jack,
came a stepsona know-it-all preschooler named William whose
greatest pleasure seems to lie in torturing Emilia. Because of
William, Emilia has learned about a number of impossible
pursuits, such as the pursuit of cab drivers who speed away when
they see William's industrial-strength car seat, and the pursuit
of lactose-free, strawberry-flavored, patisserie-quality
cupcakes, even though William's "allergy" is a figment of his
over-protective mother's imagination. William is a reminder of
another, more poignant pursuit: Emilia's struggle to ease her
griefand guiltafter the death of her newborn daughter.
With wry candor and tender humor, acclaimed novelist Ayelet
Waldman has crafted a powerhouse novel for our time, rousing us
to cheer Emilia on as she tackles the absurdities of modern life
and discovers what family really means. Brimming with discussion
topicsabout being in love, being a parent, being a child, and
simply being alive in the real world
Love and Other
Impossible Pursuits is a memorable choice for reading
groups. Whether you're exploring the book with friends or on
your own, we hope that the following questions will enhance your
experience of this magnificent tour of the heart.
Discussion Questions
- What were your initial impressions of Emilia? In what way did your image of her change as you learned
more about her? As she narrates, is she always honest with us
and with herself? How does she balance humor and intensity when
describing what it's like to be a woman on the edge?
- Discuss the many forms of love described in the novel. Is
love ever a truly impossible pursuit? What factors make it seem
that way to Emilia?
- How does Emilia cope with being a pariah among the other
preschool parents? What are the criteria within this community
for determining whether a woman is a "good mother"? What purpose
does their competitive attitude serve? What does Sonia seem to
think about the culture of American mommyhood?
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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 Anchor Books.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.