Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
- In this novel, Matt breaks up with Katie by leaving behind a diary written
by his wife Suzanne for their young son, Nicholas. Suzanne pours out her
feelings about Matt, Nicholas, about her joys of being a country doctor in
Martha's Vineyard, about being a wife and mother, about her love for the
Island and for the sea. Matt tells Katie he can't see her anymore, but leaves the diary for her.
Was he courageous or cowardly? (We later learn that he doesn't like to talk
about sad things.) What is the best way to tell a new partner about a past
life? Should he have put Katie through this agony?
- The lasting lesson in Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas is the story of
five balls. In it Life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The
balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. Every day you
keep them all in the air. Then you come to understand that work is a rubber
ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls are made of
glass. When dropped, they will probably shatter.
Suzanne's glass ball was her health. Is there anything she could have
done to keep all the balls in balance? Should she have given up more to save
her life? Stopped being a doctor, hired help for Nicholas? Gone to other
specialists?
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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 Grand Central Publishing.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.