Book Club Discussion Questions for The Most by Jessica Anthony

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Launch of Sputnik 2 and our BookBrowse Review of The Most.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. What is "The Most"? As a strategy, what does it teach Kathleen about how to navigate situations?
2. In what way is Kathleen, a white American housewife in the 1950s, a woman of her time?
3. How does the launch of Sputnik 2, and the dog Laika's role in the mission, reflect on the trajectory of Kathleen and Virgil's marriage?
4. What does it mean that so much emphasis is placed on Kathleen's body, both when she was younger as a tennis player and now, as a pregnant mother of two?
5. What is the significance of Kathleen constantly referring to Virgil as a "faker"?
6. Are Virgil and Kathleen a good match for each other? What do they remember differently about their past together?
7. What is the significance of bridges in the novel?
8. Why didn't Virgil tell anyone that he found Mr. Frazier?
9. How would Kathleen's life be different if she hadn't married Virgil? How would his be different?
10. How did Virgil and Kathleen's childhoods, and their parents, lead them into this marriage?
11. Is the marriage over?

For the full book club kit please refer to the publisher's page.

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Little Brown & Company. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.