Alicia’s fiction is the perfect selection for your next meeting, and she is happy to visit and chat with you. Email her at questforkindness[at]gmail.com for more information.
Suggested discussion points:
- Are cooking personalities such as Rachael Ray positive role models? Do you have a favorite celebrity chef?
- Discuss Ingrid and Rose-Ellen’s friendship. Why do they seek each other out?
- Have you ever volunteered your time or abilities to help others? How were you changed by that experience? Do ordinary citizens have a moral obligation to help the distressed or less fortunate?
- Rose-Ellen’s sister, Gail, observes that “the really raw part” of the grieving process shouldn’t extend beyond one year, yet Rose-Ellen is still “raw,” a year and a half later. Are there societal expectations for “getting over” the unexpected death of a loved one? Do you think “getting over it” is ever truly possible?
- What aspects of Rose-Ellen’s grief can you relate to? She emails Nick in heaven; avoids the attic, where he spent a lot of time; and neglects his old chores, such as shoveling and cooking dinner. In what ways do these choices help her overcome Nick’s death, and in what ways do they impede her ability to move on?
- Garrett, a single African-American father, and Rose-Ellen, a childless white widow, “share” a two-family home. What messages, if any, do you think the author is sending about community? Is this a realistic portrayal of the community where you live? If not, would you like it to be?
- There are many mothers and mother-figures in the story. Discuss these various manifestations of motherhood.
- Many of Gladys Knight and the Pips’ songs are about bad break-ups, yet Rose-Ellen seems to strongly identify with the lyrics. Why do you think that is? What sort of music evokes a particularly strong emotional response in you?
- EJ recalls his father’s generalizations about Finnish-Americans: they’re “too tough for gloves,” they “don’t like excess,” and they “never balk from a challenge.” How do you think EJ feels about his ancestry? How did your parents’ attitudes about their heritage influence your upbringing? Do these attitudes still affect your identity today?