Book Club

Book Club Guide for The FBI Wife

Introduction:  Sandy, a 1960s FBI wife, finds herself in territory for which there seems to be no roadmap, yet she knows she is somewhere important, an observer and a participant in an unfolding scene which is impacting her as she moves from assignment to assignment across country under Hoover’s rigid FBI expectations. She takes the reader on an emotional journey through the Kennedy assassination, Dr. King’s march to Montgomery and the social revolution of the 60s and 70s.

 

Sandy and Cliff are a couple marching out of step, searching for a new connection. Each transfer brings new hope for a new beginning for this relationship, but as Cliff’s career intensifies, Sandy finds herself losing her own identity. Who has she become? What can she re-capture of herself?

 

Questions and Topics for Discussion:

  1. What is the take-away message of this book?

 

  1. In what ways and circumstances would other women relate to Sandy’s story?

 

  1. What relationship did you as a reader develop with the protagonist?

 

  1. What role do the historical events play in the evolution of the story?

 

  1. How would you describe the turning point in the story? Where does it occur for the protagonist?

 

  1. If you were to put labels on this relationship, what would they be?

 

  1. What role do the settings play in the evolution of the narrative?

 

  1. What role does the Colorado landscape play in this story?

 

  1. What symbols are effective in moving the story forward?

 

  1. What is the peak experience in the story?

 

 

  1. Were you satisfied as a reader that the final chapter marked a new beginning for Sandy? Why or why not?

 

 

Book Club Guide for Fractured

Introduction:

 “It’s just a move,” her father said. Her mother shrugged. Sarah cried. Fourteen and her dream country club life shattered. It’s not just a move, it’s a move to a farm with fields and animals and miles of dusty roads between farmhouses. She isn’t even part of a town. Neither is her mother. These two lives move in parallel as each negotiates change within the confines of the 1950s Midwest mores. A perfect family: executive father, trophy wife, two daughters until this move rips the scabs off the marriage and fractures the family structure.

  

Questions and Topics for Discussion:

  1. In what ways does the story’s title refer to the action taking place with the characters?
  2. The setting in this novel is 1950s Michigan. Relate the setting’s importance to the events unfolding in the story.
  3. How would you describe this family, individually and as a unit?
  4. Why does Sarah proclaim that her father has ruined her life? Has he?
  5. Describe Sarah’s character arc. Who is she at the beginning of the book? Who is she at the end?
  6. What symbols operate in this story?
  7. Describe the roles of the secondary characters Grandpa and Marla.
  8. What does the future hold for Sarah? For Rose?
  9. In what ways does this story define friendship?
  10. What would you define as the underlying themes in this book?