Freedom of a Tangled Vine (Tierney) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
1. The story is told not only through plot, but also through images. Discuss which of the following images stood out to you, and what they seem to represent: vines, Alina’s garden, Fawn’s garden, the neighbor Margaret’s lawn, Alina’s auburn hair, trees, the Milwaukee harbor. Are there other images that stood out to you? What objects in your life hold great meaning or are symbolic to you?

2. One theme of the story is our sense of place and home. There are certain places that hold great meaning and evoke strong emotions in us. Where is a place that does this for you, and what does it make you feel or remember? How has this place changed over time, and how do those changes impact your feelings toward it?

3. One of the greatest discoveries in the book is the moment when Fawn considers whether she can hold onto her beautiful memories of childhood while also accepting the new truths about her family. What are the new truths? What does she conclude? What knowledge or event in your life has made you need to “rewrite” or rethink your past? How did you do this?

4. Fawn readily questions Alina about Aileen, but never directly questions Joe. What holds her back? Why do we approach some family members more openly, and sweep certain issues under the rug with others? Is Fawn sweeping the issue under the rug with her father, or is it still addressed indirectly?

5. There is a moment when Fawn realizes she will never remember her father as youthful and healthy, the way she used to think of him. Is this a positive or negative moment for her? What memories have you let fade, and has it been healthy or unhealthy to do so?

6. Before Alina actually mails the letter to initiate the meeting with Aileen, she confesses to Fawn that she is afraid of whether or not she’ll live up to the fantasy Aileen has created. Fawn assures her mother that she will, yet Fawn herself has created a fantasy of who her mother is. How has Fawn done this, and how do the flashbacks in the story help the reader understand the fantasy? How does Fawn’s fantasy of her mother differ from what Aileen’s might be?

7. Fawn’s relationships with her brothers differ, as the reader senses she is more connected with Jon. What makes Fawn protective of Jon, and how does her adult relationship with him echo her youthful one? In what ways do we, even as adults, fall into place with the old patterns of our sibling relationships?

8. Fawn’s friendship with Luisa opens up the sub-plot of Matthew and his girlfriend. How does this sub-plot reiterate the themes of the novel?

9. Consider how peripheral characters impact the story and add additional dimension to the reader’s understanding of the story. Consider Uncle Arthur, Jon and Pete, and Lea’s parents.
(Questions courtesy of the author.)

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