Five Days (Kennedy) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think Douglas Kennedy wrote Laura’s story as it happens in just five days? How would the novel be different if it weren’t limited to this time frame? What does it gain by the limitation?

2. Laura and Lucy “both read to find windows into our own dilemmas” (page 49). Do you choose books for the same reason? What book has recently spoken to you the most? Why?

3. How do Laura’s, Dan’s, and Richard’s relationships with their parents affect their lives? Their marriages? Does it change how they parent their own children?

4. Though there were problems already, Laura and Dan’s marriage went downhill when he lost his job. How does this financial pressure change their relationship? If Dan hadn’t been laid off, do you think they would have stayed married?

5. “That’s been one of the unwritten rules of our friendship: we tell each other everything we want to share. We ask advice and give it reciprocally. But we stop short of saying what we really feel about the other’s stuff” ( page 50). Do you think this is a good “rule” for friends to have? What would you have said to Laura if you were Lucy?

6. Is adultery really a betrayal of trust—or, in the case of Laura, a necessary way for her to begin to confront the empty sadness of her marriage?

7. Why wouldn’t Five Days be the same story if it were told from Richard’s point of view? Does Douglas Kennedy accurately capture the voice of Laura?

8. Both Richard and Laura spent most of their lives in Maine, in small towns with lots of gossip and not much financial opportunity. Could these characters come from any small town, spending a weekend in any big city? Why, or why not?

9. Ben and Billy seem to relate best to one parent. Is this always the case in family life?

10. Laura and Richard both dwell on what direction their lives might have taken if only Eric hadn’t died or Richard had left with Sarah. What is your “possible” life story?

11. Ben, Sally, Billy, and even Laura are in some ways defined by their first relationships. How does this theme play an important part of the novel?

12. Were you surprised by the outcome of Laura and Richard’s affair?

13. In the end, divorce seems to be accomplished without much legal melodrama, at least once the decision is made to end the marriage. How would this novel be different if the divorce were more contentious? Do you think this is an accurate portrayal?

14. Would Laura have had the strength to leave her marriage if she hadn’t met Richard? Why, or why not?
(Questions issued by publisher.)

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