by Josie Brown
10. Lyssa is concerned that Harry may be labeled an “Undesirable” and, admittedly, dreads it for herself. Do you think that the need for the approval and admiration of our peers can ever be overcome? Can a person be truly happy with themselves without some sort of recognition from others, or will we always need to be noticed in order to be happy with ourselves?
11. As a character, Lyssa can be a little judgmental. She is quick to find fault with her friends and to point out when they’re in denial. And yet, she is blind to the problems in her own life. Are most people better at finding faults with others than at looking within? Why?
12. What is the significance of Lyssa’s relationship with her mother and father? How do you think the example of her parents’ marriage affected the way she handled her own romantic relationships with both Ted and Harry? How does the news that her father didn’t abandon her help Lyssa to reevaluate her views on love and relationships?
13. The Paradise Heights basketball team plays a game at a rival school that displays a banner in its gym, reading: “We Own You.” How do you think the wealth of some of the characters in this book influences their views of the world? How does it affect their children?
14. Although the novel takes place in an exclusive community, a place where most people could never afford to live, are there certain commonalities you noticed between the characters in this book, and the less elite? What sorts of problems transcend class barriers?
15. How did you feel about the way the novel ended? Were you at all upset that Lyssa immediately jumped from a marriage with Ted to a marriage with Harry? Did you want her to strike out on her own and prove her independence? What did you think of the way Lyssa’s relationship with Ted was concluded? Did you want him to get more of a comeuppance?
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
• Each chapter begins with a quote about love and relationships. Which quote was your favorite? Did any hit particularly close to home? Have you received any advice in your own life that rivals the advice offered in these quotes?
• The mean-mommy clique is part of a long-hallowed literary and film tradition that depicts the cattiness with which some women treat one another. Watch, read, and discuss other books and movies that depict similarly icy relationships between women (e.g. anything by Jane Austen, Edit Wharton; Jane Eyre, Cinderella, Mean Girls, Heathers, The Women; etc.). Discuss how you think these portrayals of female-on-female emotional violence affect societal views of women.
• One of the many ways that women in this book jockey for social superiority is through their baking skills (think of DeeDee’s gingerbread man triumph over Lyssa). Have a friendly bake-off of your own and see who can bake the best treat for your book club.
• Go to www.josiebrown.com for information on the author’s previous novels, her reading events, and to download additional book club questions, or to invite her to teleconference with your book club.
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Halloween
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Thanksgiving
26
27
28
29
Christmas
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
New Year’s Day
46
47
New Year’s DayOne Year Later
48
INTRODUCTION
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
