Two-Family House (Loigman) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:

• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)

Also, consider these LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for The Two-Family House...then take off on your own:

1. Talk about the personalities of the two sisters-in-law, Helen and Rose. At what point after the birth of the babies do cracks begin to appear in their relationship?

2. Discuss the husband/brothers, Mort and Abe. How are they different, and how do their parenting styles differ? Is it only Mort's wishes that drive the plot?

3. Talk about that fateful night, the night of the snowstorm and two births. What do you think of the decision that was made? Do you understand the motivation behind it? Could anyone have foreseen the consequences?

4. This book is very much about secrets and the lies that cover them up. Was there any point over the years when the secrets could have been laid bare, allowing the truth to emerge?

5. The story is told through shifting perspectives. What do the differing points of view bring to the reading experience? And why are only Judith and Natalie, of all the children, given voice in the novel?

6. Natalie tells Helen that although Helen couldn't save Teddy, "you did save me." What does she mean, and who else achieves redemption?

7. Whom do you identify with most closely in the novel? Does your loyalty shift as the story progresses?

8. Readers are in the position of knowing the secret from the onset. How does this knowledge affect your experience of reading The Two-Family House? What if readers had been kept in the dark like most of the characters—what difference would that make in how you read the novel?

(We'll add specific questions if and when they're made available by the publisher. In the meantime use these, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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