Do you find Lulu to be a sympathetic character? What about John Gregory? Do you think it’s possible to ever truly know someone?
As children, we often define ourselves in opposition to our best friends. Do you think Lulu is a good influence on Katie or a bad one? What about Katie’s influence on Lulu? When they meet again at the end of the book, what insights do you gain about the dynamic between them when they were younger?
David, Katie’s brother, seems to have a different relationship with his father than Katie does. Why do you think this is the case—does it have to do with gender or personality, or could it be something else?
Early on, we are told that Katie doesn’t quite trust her feelings for Zev. Why do you think this is so? Why, and in what way, do her feelings for him change as she comes closer to understanding what really happened that night at the lake?
Does Zev “get” Katie? Why do you think he’s drawn to her, and what does this say about him as a life partner? What do you think the author is saying about the different ways we try to make sense of our experiences?
The book explores Katie’s first loves: her platonic love for her father and her romantic love for Jack. How do you think a woman’s early experiences of love impact her ability to have a healthy sexual relationship as an adult? Where does Lulu fit into this picture?
Why is Katie so attached to Jack? In the end she says, “I don’t think we really knew each other at all.” Do you think she’s right in this assessment? Have you ever had a similar experience?
John’s defense team tries to portray Lulu as deeply troubled and unreliable, a highly controversial but common courtroom tactic. Do you think the morality or personal integrity of either the plaintiff or the defendant should be part of the equation when it comes to allegations/crimes of this nature?
Katie has always had a difficult relationship with her mother. By the end of the book, do you understand what has really been going on and why? Is there anything Charlie could have done differently?
Grumpy is an old-fashioned character, dearly loved and stoic. Did he fail his family by keeping quiet about what he knew? Do you think there’s merit in having a stiff upper lip and just getting on with life? How did that approach harm or help Katie?
If there is a moral to this story, what do you think it is?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katrin Schumann studied languages at Oxford and journalism at Stanford, and she is the author of several nonfiction books. She has been awarded fiction residencies from the Vermont Studio Center, the Norman Mailer Writers Colony, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Schumann teaches writing at GrubStreet in Boston and was an instructor in PEN’s Prison Writing Program. She lives in Boston and Key West. For more information, visit www.katrinschumann.com.
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