Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for THE HOUSE OF FRIPP ISLAND ... then take off on your own:
1. What is wrong with the Lisa and Scott Daly's marriage? How does their relationship compare to Poppy and John Ford's?
2. Talk about the role that class plays in this novel—a well-off couple hosting a not-so-well-off family. How do the differences in wealth drive the story?
3. Why does Rebecca Kauffman open her novel with the ghost of a member of one of the families? What is accomplished by "giving away" the ending? Why not just tell the story chronologically?
4. Of the 10 characters in this novel, which ones do you care for most, identify with, or… perhaps dislike?
5. How do Lisa's insecurities affect her daughter's behavior?
6. Everything seems normal at first, relaxed and untroubled, but the normality is not to last. What are the initial signs of unraveling?
7. All the characters hold some sort of secret or inner feelings of jealousy, resentment, suspicion. Dissect the emotional turmoil of the characters.
8. Poppy makes references to the income disparity?
It bothered Lisa that people without money seemed to think they could squawk on and on about people with money, all the ways their lives seemed so different and strange, whereas Lisa would never dream of breathing a word about their lives or homes.
Is Lisa justified in her irritation? Is it possible for two childhood friends to maintain a close childhood relationship when one "marries up," creating a distinct class separation?
9. Were you surprised, even shocked, by the final revelation, the twist at the end?
10. What are your thoughts about the book's epilogue set years later? What does it add to the story?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)