The Weight of Ink
Rachel Kadish, 2017
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
576 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780544866461
Summary
An intellectual and emotional jigsaw puzzle of a novel for readers of A. S. Byatt’s Possession and Geraldine Brooks’s People of the Book
Set in London of the 1660s and of the early twenty-first century, The Weight of Ink is the interwoven tale of two women of remarkable intellect: Ester Velasquez, an emigrant from Amsterdam who is permitted to scribe for a blind rabbi, just before the plague hits the city; and Helen Watt, an ailing historian with a love of Jewish history.
As the novel opens, Helen has been summoned by a former student to view a cache of seventeenth-century Jewish documents newly discovered in his home during a renovation.
Enlisting the help of Aaron Levy, an American graduate student as impatient as he is charming, and in a race with another fast-moving team of historians, Helen embarks on one last project: to determine the identity of the documents' scribe, the elusive "Aleph."
Electrifying and ambitious, sweeping in scope and intimate in tone, The Weight of Ink is a sophisticated work of historical fiction about women separated by centuries, and the choices and sacrifices they must make in order to reconcile the life of the heart and mind. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1969-70
• Where—N/A
• Education—B.A., Princeton University; M.A., New York University
• Awards—(see below)
• Currently—lives in Newtonville, Massachusetts
Rachel Kadish is an American novelist, author of The Weight of Ink (2017), Tolstoy Lied: a Love Story (2006), and From a Sealed Room (1998), as well as the novella "I Was Here." She received her Bachelor's from Princeton and her Master's from New York University. Currently, Kadish teaches creative writing in Lesley University's MFA Creative Writing Program. She lives outside of Boston, Mass., with her family.
Her work has appeared on NPR and in the New York Times, Ploughshares, and Tin House, and has been anthologized in the Pushcart Prize Anthology and elsewhere.
Kadish has been a fiction fellow of both the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, as well as a writer-in-residence at Stanford University. Literary prizes include the John Gardner Fiction Award and the Koret Foundation's Young Writer on Jewish Themes Award. (Adapted from the author's website. Retrieved 6/14/2017.)
Book Reviews
[An] emotionally rewarding novel follows the familiar pattern of present-day academics trying to make sense of a mystery from the past.… Helen and Aaron’s sparking relationship is vivid and memorable, as the two historians discover how desire can transcend time.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) This astonishing third novel from Kadish introduces readers to the 17th-century Anglo-Jewish world with not only excellent scholarship but also fine storytelling. The riveting narrative and well-honed characters will earn a place in readers' hearts."
Library Journal
[A] richly textured, addictive novel stretching back and forth through time, from contemporary London to the late seventeenth century… [with] a suspenseful literary tale that serves as a compelling tribute to women across the centuries committed to living, breathing, and celebrating the life of the mind.
Booklist
Kadish's characters are memorable, and we're treated to a host of them: pious rabbis and ribald actors, socialites and troubled young men, Mossad agents and rule-worshipping archivists.… Kadish leaves no stone unturned in this moving historical epic. Chock-full of rich detail and literary intrigue.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Describing the impact of his blindness, the rabbi says to Ester, "I came to understand how much of the world was now banned from me—for my hands would never again turn the pages of a book, nor be stained with the sweet, grave weight of ink, a thing I had loved since first memory." For the rabbi and for Ester, ink means many things—among them freedom, community, power, and danger. What does the written word mean to you? Is it as powerful today, amid all our forms of media, as it was to the rabbi and to Ester?
2. The novel opens with a quote from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 71: "Nay, if you read this line, remember not / The hand that writ it". Which characters in the novel choose to give anonymously, or without receiving any credit? Would you be willing to have your most meaningful accomplishments remain anonymous or even be attributed to others? In today’s interconnected world, with privacy so hard to achieve, is there anything you would write or say if you knew your words would be anonymous?
3. In order to write, Ester betrays the rabbi’s trust. Yet in her final confession Ester says, "Yet I would choose again my very same sin, though it would mean my compunction should wrack me another lifetime and beyond." Is Ester’s betrayal of the rabbi’s trust forgivable? When freedom of thought and loyalty argue against each other, which should a person choose?
4. William, Manuel, and Alvaro offer Ester very different sorts of love. What does each offer her, and what sacrifice does each require? How might you answer this question for the love between Dror and Helen?
5. Both Helen and Ester fear love. How do they wrestle with this fear? Could they have made choices other than the ones they made?
6. In what ways did Aaron mature throughout the book?
7. Did the motivations of Ester, Helen, and Aaron change as the novel progressed?
8. Ester’s life is shaped by the wrenching between the life of the mind and the life of the body. Can a woman today freely choose to combine love, motherhood, and the life of the mind, without unacceptable sacrifices?
9. What story do you imagine Dror would tell about his experience with Helen?
10. Ester grows up in a community of Portuguese Inquisition refugees who are fiercely focused on ensuring their safety in the "New Jerusalem" of Amsterdam; they place great importance on reviving Jewish learning and they give their harshest punishment to Spinoza for his heretical pronouncements. When Helen goes to Israel, she encounters Holocaust survivors struggling with the legacy of their losses and the need to establish safety in their new home. In what ways are these communities similar, and in what ways are they different?
11. What clues does the author include as to the identity of the true grandfather of the female scribe? Did Lizabeta (Constantina’s mother) make the right choice in refusing to play on his pity and beg him to keep her and her daughter in London?
12. After months of chafing at the Patricias’ strict stewardship of the rare manuscript room, Aaron has this epiphany: "and as if his own troubles had given him new ears, Aaron understood that her terseness was love—that all of it was love: the Patricias’ world of meticulous conservation and whispering vigilance and endless policing over f-cking pencils." What sorts of love are on display in unexpected ways in The Weight of Ink? In what unexpected ways does love show itself in your own world?
(Questions issued from the author's website.)
I Was Anastasia
Ariel Lawhon, 2018
Knopf Doubleday
352 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780385541695
Summary
In an enthralling new feat of historical suspense, Ariel Lawhon unravels the extraordinary twists and turns in Anna Anderson's 50-year battle to be recognized as Anastasia Romanov. Is she the Russian Grand Duchess, a beloved daughter and revered icon, or is she an imposter, the thief of another woman's legacy?
Countless others have rendered their verdict. Now it is your turn.
♦ Russia, July 17, 1918:
Under direct orders from Vladimir Lenin, Bolshevik secret police force Anastasia Romanov, along with the entire imperial family, into a damp basement in Siberia where they face a merciless firing squad. None survive. At least that is what the executioners have always claimed.
♦ Germany, February 17, 1920:
A young woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Anastasia Romanov is pulled shivering and senseless from a canal in Berlin. Refusing to explain her presence in the freezing water, she is taken to the hospital where an examination reveals that her body is riddled with countless, horrific scars. When she finally does speak, this frightened, mysterious woman claims to be the Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia.
Her detractors, convinced that the young woman is only after the immense Romanov fortune, insist on calling her by a different name: Anna Anderson.
As rumors begin to circulate through European society that the youngest Romanov daughter has survived the massacre, old enemies and new threats are awakened. With a brilliantly crafted dual narrative structure, Lawhon wades into the most psychologically complex and emotionally compelling territory yet: the nature of identity itself.
The question of who Anna Anderson is and what actually happened to Anastasia Romanov creates a saga that spans fifty years and touches three continents. This thrilling story is every bit as moving and momentous as it is harrowing and twisted. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Ariel Lawhon is co-founder of the popular online book club, She Reads, a novelist, blogger, and life-long reader. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and four young sons (aka The Wild Rumpus).
Lawhon's first novel, The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress (2014) is centered around the still-unsolved disappearance of New York State Supreme Court Judge, Joseph Crater. Ariel believes that Story is the shortest distance to the human heart.
Her second novel, Flight of Dreams (2016) is a fictional exploration of the mystery behind the the 1937 Hindenberg blimp explosion. I Was Anastasia (2018), Lawhon's third novel, follows Anna Anderson, who claimed to be Anastasia Romonov, the lone survivor of the execution of the Czar of Russia and his family. (From the author's website.)
Book Reviews
[Lawhon's] effortless, eloquent prose transports the reader via a dramatic, suspenseful and satisfying work of historical fiction.… Lawhon brilliantly employs an inventive and non-linear dual narrative to tell the tale of how Anastasia would become Anna Anderson, or, perhaps, how Anna became Anastasia.… In the end, what Lawhon does so convincingly is shake up our notion of identity. And not just that of Anastasia and Anna. Are we who we say we are, or who others believe us to be? It's a question that lingers long after the final page.
USA Today
Lawhon’s spectacular, emotionally rich third historical thoroughly imagines the events leading up to the execution of Russia’s royal family in 1918.… This sprawling, immersive tale… [brings] ts characters to sparkling life.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) De los Santos brings her signature style, wit, and charm while weaving in beloved characters from her previous novels.…This tender, genuine, and joyful novel is one to
Booklist
Anna [Anderson's]… trials and tribulations are hardto follow…. So the Anastasia story ends up being the more compelling of the two, hurtling…to its grisly ending. Then comes an interesting Author's Note…. Somewhat overcomplicated but ultimately satisfying.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. I Was Anastasia is an unusually structured novel that moves backward and forward in time. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story in this way?
2. When we first meet Anna Anderson, she is not an easy character to like. As you learned more about her past, did your opinion of her change?
3. How do you interpret Anna’s hoarding tendencies, especially with regard to animals?
4. Anna’s story is told in the third person; Anastasia’s story in the first person. What are your thoughts on the different points of view? Which did you prefer?
5. People often think of Anastasia Romanov in terms of the 1997 animated film. Yet this book does not portray her as a typical Disney princess. Were you glad to see a different side to this historic figure? Or did it bother you?
6. The bombing of Hannover (October 8, 1943) is a dramatic and terrifying scene in the book. Do you think you could display the same level of resilience if you were in Anna’s shoes?
7. The longer the Romanovs were in captivity, the smaller their world became, until they were confined to a handful of rooms. They each handled the boredom and oppression differently. What would you have done in their situation?
8. Do your thoughts about Anna’s identity shift as the novel progresses? Does she become more (or less) believable as we travel back in time with her?
9. Did reading this novel inspire you to find out more about the Romanovs?
10. The Romanovs are not the only royal family to come to a tragic end, yet their story endures as few have. What do you think contributes to the timeless fascination—that of Anastasia in particular?
11. Discuss the ending of the novel. How did it affect your feelings about the novel as a whole?
12. Did the Author’s Note change your opinion about the ending?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
Miracle Creek
Angie Kim, 2019
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
368 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780374156022
Summary
A thrilling debut novel for fans of Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng about how far we’ll go to protect our families—and our deepest secrets.
My husband asked me to lie. Not a big lie. He probably didn’t even consider it a lie, and neither did I, at first …
In rural Virginia, Young and Pak Yoo run an experimental medical treatment device known as the Miracle Submarine—a pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for therapeutic "dives" with the hopes of curing issues like autism or infertility.
But when the Miracle Submarine mysteriously explodes, killing two people, a dramatic murder trial upends the Yoos’ small community.
Who or what caused the explosion? Was it the mother of one of the patients, who claimed to be sick that day but was smoking down by the creek? Or was it Young and Pak themselves, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college?
The ensuing trial uncovers unimaginable secrets from that night—trysts in the woods, mysterious notes, child-abuse charges—as well as tense rivalries and alliances among a group of people driven to extraordinary degrees of desperation and sacrifice.
Angie Kim’s Miracle Creek is a thoroughly contemporary take on the courtroom drama, drawing on the author’s own life as a Korean immigrant, former trial lawyer, and mother of a real-life "submarine" patient.
Both a compelling page-turner and an excavation of identity and the desire for connection, Miracle Creek is a brilliant, empathetic debut from an exciting new voice. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—?
• Where—Seoul, South Korea
• Raised—Korea and Baltimore, Maryland, USA
• Education—B.A., Standford University; J.D., Harvard University
• Currently—lives in northern Virginia
Angie Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea, where she lived until preteens until the family moved to the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, in the U.S. She attended Stanford University and Harvard Law School, where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Following law school, Kim worked as a trial lawyer at Williams & Connolly, a law firm based in Washington, D.C.
In 2019 Kim published her first novel, Miracle Creek. Her stories have won the Glamour Essay Contest and the Wabash Prize in Fiction, and have appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, Salon, Slate, Southern Review, Sycamore Review, Asian American Literary Review, and PANK.
Kim lives in northern Virginia with her husband and three sons. (Adapted from the publisher.)
Book Reviews
Like a Law & Order episode tossed into an immigrant’s bildungsroman, Miracle Creek has the heart of a Celeste Ng novel and the pacing of a thriller.
Hillary Kelly - Vulture
This stunning debut by Angie Kim is both an utterly engrossing, nail-biter of a courtroom drama and a sensitive, incisive look into the experiences of immigrant families in America.
Nylon
Engrossing.… Miracle Creek turns a courtroom murder trial into a page-turning exploration of parenting, experimental therapies, and the emotional toil of immigration.
Elle
Clear your calendars, put your phones on airplane mode, and get ready to hear the sounds of your heartstrings being plucked! This stunning debut is a family drama, courtroom thriller, and a mystery, all of which add up to one of the most incredible novels of 2019.… My two-word review: Jaw. Dropping. I was absolutely floored by this book! Reading it felt like opening a present I had been hiding in my heart.
Liberty Hardy - Book of the Month Club
(Starred review) A stand-out, twisty debut . . . Kim, a former lawyer, clearly knows her stuff . . . a masterfully plotted novel about the joys and pains of motherhood, the trick mirror nature of truth, and the unforgiving nature of justice.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review) Kim effectively uses her background as a trial lawyer, skillfully crafting her narrative by interweaving the stories of her characters, each of whom speak for themselves as the story progresses toward a surprise ending. With touches of mystery, legal thriller, and character-driven storytelling, where nothing is ever quite as it seems, Kim's promising debut will certainly have readers looking forward to her next offering.
Library Journal
Powerful courtroom scenes invite comparisons to Scott Turow, but Kim’s nuanced exploration of guilt, resentment, maternal love, and multifaceted justice may have stronger appeal for readers.
Booklist
With so many complications and loose ends, one of the miracles of the novel is that the author ties it all together and arrives at a deeply satisfying―though not easy or sentimental―ending. Intricate plotting and courtroom theatrics, combined with moving insight into parenting special needs children and the psychology of immigrants, make this book both a learning experience and a page-turner. Should be huge.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. In the opening chapter of Miracle Creek, Young Yoo narrates her version of events on the evening of the HBOT explosion. What is the effect of this first-person narrative compared with the rest of the book, which is written in the third person? What are the details in Young’s story that create suspense? What does Young know that hints at the truth about what happened? What information is she missing?
2. Abe Patterley, the prosecuting attorney, calls Dr. Matt Thompson as his first witness against Elizabeth Ward. What dual purpose does Matt’s testimony serve? What does it reveal about Matt—what he believes about the effectiveness of HBOT and how he came to be undergoing treatments,as well as his personal life? What is Matt afraid of divulging in court?
3. What are some of the differences between American and Korean culture that the book explores? How are these experienced by Matt and Janine? By the Yoo family? How are the Korean characters stereotyped by others? How do they defy stereotype?
4. As the trial proceeds, the defense and prosecuting attorneys attempt to re-create the time line leading to the explosion. What are some of the lies and false assumptions contained in the testimony of witnesses and experts? What is the circumstantial evidence that led to Elizabeth’s arrest? How does each of the lawyers try to influence the jury?
5. Autism is diagnosed on a spectrum with a wide variation in symptoms, as evidenced by TJ Kozlowski and Henry Ward. In Miracle Creek, the mothers of autistic children are portrayed as having a wide range of beliefs about treatments for their children. What do Kitt, Elizabeth, and Ruth Weiss each believe about treatments? What are the circumstances of Kitt’s and Elizabeth’s lives that influence their behavior?
6. On the day of the explosion, as well as during the trial, many of the characters make decisions that ultimately change the course of their lives. What are some of these decisions? How might things have turned out differently if, for example, Matt hadn’t bought cigarettes, or Janine hadn’t gone to see Mary?
7. Pak Young is described as a "wild goose father," a man who remains in Korea to work while his wife and children move abroad for better education. Pak will make any sacrifice for Mary. Who are the other fathers in the story and what are their relationships with their wives and children? What is the picture of fatherhood that emerges?
8. What is the reality of being the mother of a special needs child? How do Elizabeth, Teresa, and Kitt each cope with the daily demands of care giving? Where do they find support? What are their relationships with each other? Elizabeth, in particular, devotes herself to Henry. What is her motivation for constantly seeking new therapies, some of which are painful and possibly harmful? How does Kitt feel about Elizabeth’s treatment of Henry? What does Elizabeth realize as she watches the video of Henry? Why does she take the drastic action she takes at the end of the novel?
9. Several small and seemingly insignificant objects are important to the development of the book’s characters and the unfolding of the plot—for example, Janine’s wok and the balloons. What are some of the others and the purposes they serve?
10. Each of the main characters feels guilty about something he or she did or failed to do. Why is Young relieved on the first day of the trial when the judge announces, "Docket number 49621,Commonwealth of Virginia versus Elizabeth Ward"? What are Pak and Young, Matt and Janine,hiding from Abe Patterley? At the book’s conclusion, is there anyone who can be described as completely innocent? Did any good come of the tragedy?
11. What brought Young and Pak from Seoul to Baltimore and, ultimately, to Miracle Creek? What is Young’s first impression of the United States and its citizens? How were the Yoo family’s expectations of America different from the realities? How were Young, Pak, and Mary different as individuals and as a family before they immigrated?
12. As Day Three of the trial ends, Young and Matt are each determined to learn the truth about what their spouses have been hiding. What has Young discovered that causes her to doubt Pak? Why does Pak continue to lie to her? What has Matt discovered about Janine? What lies do Matt and Janine persist in telling each other?
13. On Day Four of the trial, Abe introduces as evidence "a blow-up of notepad paper, phrases scrawled everywhere," taken from Elizabeth’s house after the explosion. In particular, there are five phrases on the page, highlighted in yellow: I can’t do this anymore; I need my life back; It needs to end TODAY!!; Henry = victim? How?; and NO MORE HBOT, which has been circled several times. What was Elizabeth’s frame of mind when she wrote these notes to herself? What is the truth about the last day of Henry’s life?
14. Shannon and Abe appear to be skillful and highly ethical attorneys. In order to do their jobs, they have no choice but to believe their witnesses as they build their cases. Do either of them doubt any of the information they’ve been given? What tactics do each of them use to influence the jury? Which one of them seems closer to winning the case when Elizabeth’s disappearance puts an end to the trial?
15. What is the chain of events that turns Mary’s teenaged feelings of anger and humiliation into the actions she takes on the night of the explosion? How does Pak rationalize his plan for saving her? Should Matt and Janine have been held accountable for how they treated her?
16. Were you surprised to discover the identity of the person who set the fire? Do you view what that person did as murder? Was that person’s sentence fair? How about the sentences of the others?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Taylor Jenkins Reid , 2017
Atria Books
400 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781501139239
Summary
A legendary film actress reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love.
Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
"Heartbreaking, yet beautiful" (Jamie Blynn, Us Weekly), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is "Tinseltown drama at its finest" (Redbook): a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it costs—to face the truth. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1984-85
• Where—Acton, Massachusettes, USA
• Education—Emerson College
• Currently—lives in Los Angeles, California
Taylor Jenkins Reid is an author, essayist, and TV writer from Acton, Massachusetts. Her debut novel, Forever, Interrupted (2013) has been optioned with Dakota Johnson attached to star. Her second book, After I Do (2014), was called a "must read" by Kirkus. Other novels include, Maybe In Another Life (2015), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017), and Daisy Jones & The Six (2019).
In addition to her novels, Taylor's essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, xoJane, and a number of other blogs.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Alex, and their dog, Rabbit. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
[F]ascinating, emotional and will be hard to put down. For fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, this is her best work yet.
Associated Press
A novel of Old Hollywood that's simultaneously gossipy and poignant. Look no further for the glamour, ambition and shocking secrets your beach-blanket sessions demand.
People
Come for the glam old Hollywood vibes; stay for a touching tale of a young reporter and a silver-screen legend.
Cosmopolitan
In her latest mesmerizing tale, Reid transports readers back to Hollywood’s heyday with a heroine in the likes of — but more intriguing than — Elizabeth Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Katherine Hepburn. Yes, Evelyn Hugo is the glamorous idol you admire, but she’s also the relentless fighter you aspire to be. Her life’s story is heartbreaking, yet beautiful and will keep readers captivated until the very last page.
Us Weekly
Reid’s characters will enchant readers as they travel through the glitz and glamour of Old Hollywood and the truths they both must confront.
Real Simple
Taylor Jenkins Reid is the queen of queens when it comes to beach reads, and this breathtaking treat proves once again the throne is hers alone.
Redbook
The epic adventures Evelyn creates over the course of a lifetime will leave every female reader mesmerized. This wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet and her tumultuous Tinseltown journey comes with unexpected twists and the most satisfying of drama.
PopSugar
Riveting, heart-wrenching, and full of Old Hollywood glamour, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of the most captivating reads of 2017.
Buzzfeed
[T]he total package: the very best of Classic Hollywood intrigue, a delicious twist, and incisive commentary on the wages of stardom, especially for women.
Anne Helen Petersen - BuzzFeed culture writer and author of Scandals of Classic Hollywood
A big, juicy read…Reid expertly captures the hothouse nature of Hollywood.… [T]he story is fresh, and the end reveal is worth the wait.
Historical Novel Society
Former Hollywood bombshell…[gives] a behind-the-scenes exclusive of her many relationships. Evelyn's path to success and stardom was not without sacrifice, scandal, secrets, and heartbreak.… For fans of Tinseltown gossip and tales of private lives hidden from prying public eyes.
Library Journal
Reid has penned a gut-wrenching yet upbeat story about love and life…A sure bet for fans of romantic women’s fiction."
Booklist
An aging starlet…offers the rights to her memoir to an inexperienced writer—at a heartbreaking cost.… Reid's heroine reveals her darkest secrets…a celebration of human frailty that speaks to the Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor in us all.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Each husband’s section opens with an illustrative moniker (for example, "Poor Ernie Diaz," "Goddamn Don Adler," "Agreeable Robert Jamison"). Discuss the meaning and significance of some of these descriptions. How do they set the tone for the section that follows? Did you read these characterizations as coming from Evelyn, Monique, an omniscient narrator, or someone else?
2. Of the seven husbands, who was your favorite, and why? Who surprised you the most?
3. Monique notes that hearing Evelyn Hugo’s life story has inspired her to carry herself differently than she would have before. In what ways does Monique grow over the course of the novel? Discuss whether Evelyn also changes by the end of her time with Monique, and if so, what spurs this evolution.
4. On page 147, Monique says, "I have to 'Evelyn Hugo' Evelyn Hugo." What does it mean to "Evelyn Hugo"? Can you think of a time when you might be tempted to "Evelyn Hugo"?
5. Did you trust Evelyn to be a reliable narrator as you were reading? Why, or why not? Did your opinion on this change at all by the conclusion, and if so, why?
6. What role do the news, tabloid, and blog articles interspersed throughout the book serve in the narrative? What, if anything, do we learn about Evelyn’s relationship to the outside world from them?
7. At several points in the novel, such as pages 82–83 and 175–82, Evelyn tells her story through the second person, "you." How does this kind of narration affect the reading experience? Why do you think she chooses these memories to recount in this way?
8. How do you think Evelyn’s understanding and awareness of sexuality were shaped by her relationship with Billy—the boy who works at the five-and-dime store? How does her sensibility evolve from this initial encounter? As she grows older, to what extent is Evelyn’s attitude toward sex is influenced by those around her?
9. On page 54, Evelyn uses the saying "all’s well that ends well" as part of her explanation for not regretting her actions. Do you think Evelyn truly believes this? Using examples from later in her life, discuss why or why not. How do you think this idea relates to the similar but more negatively associated phrase "the ends justify the means"?
10. Evelyn offers some firm words of wisdom throughout her recounting of her life, such as "Be wary of men with something to prove" (p. 77), "Never let anyone make you feel ordinary" (p. 208), and "It is OK to grovel for something you really want" (p.192). What is your favorite piece of advice from Evelyn? Were there any assertions you strongly disagreed with?
11. Several times, Evelyn mentions having cosmetic surgery. What was your reaction to this? How do these decisions jibe with the value system and ethical code that she seems to live by? Why do you think Evelyn continues to dye her hair at the end of her life?
12. Review the scenes on pages 199 and 348, in which Evelyn relays memories of conversing in Spanish after years without speaking it. Discuss the role language plays in her understanding of who she is. In what ways does her relationship to her Cuban identity parallel her experiences with her sexuality, and in what ways does it differ?
13. If you could meet and interview one celebrity at the end of their life, who would it be? What would you ask them?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
Touch
Courtney Maum, 2017
Penguin Random
320 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780735212121
Summary
From the author of the I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, a satirical and moving novel in the spirit of Maria Semple and Jess Walter about a New York City trend forecaster who finds herself wanting to overturn her own predictions, move away from technology, and reclaim her heart.
Sloane Jacobsen is one of the world's most powerful trend forecasters (she was the foreseer of “the swipe”), and global fashion, lifestyle, and tech companies pay to hear her opinions about the future.
Her recent forecasts on the family are unwavering: the world is over-populated, and with unemployment, college costs, and food prices all on the rise, having children is an extravagant indulgence.
So it’s no surprise when the tech giant Mammoth hires Sloane to lead their groundbreaking annual conference, celebrating the voluntarily childless. But not far into her contract, Sloane begins to sense the undeniable signs of a movement against electronics that will see people embracing compassion, empathy, and “in-personism” again.
She’s struggling with the fact that her predictions are hopelessly out of sync with her employer's mission and that her closest personal relationship is with her self-driving car when her partner, the French “neo-sensualist” Roman Bellard, reveals that he is about to publish an op-ed on the death of penetrative sex—a post-sexual treatise that instantly goes viral.
Despite the risks to her professional reputation, Sloane is nevertheless convinced that her instincts are the right ones, and goes on a quest to defend real life human interaction, while finally allowing in the love and connectedness she's long been denying herself.
A poignant and amusing call to arms that showcases her signature biting wit and keen eye, celebrated novelist Courtney Maum’s new book is a moving investigation into what it means to be an individual in a globalized world. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Courtney Maum is the author of the novels Touch (2017) and I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You (2014), and the chapbook "Notes from Mexico."
Her short fiction, book reviews, and essays on the writing life have been widely published in outlets such as The New York Times, O Magazine, Tin House, Electric Literature, and Buzzfeed, and she has co-written films that have debuted at Sundance and won awards at Cannes.
Maum graduated from Brown University with a degree in Comparative Literature. She spent several yeaars as a trend forecaster, a fashion publicist, and a party promoter for Corona Extra. Part of that time (five years) she lived in France. She currently works as a product namer for M·A·C cosmetics and other companies from her home in Litchfield County, CT, where she founded the multidisciplinary creative retreat, #TheCabins. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
Maum's writing is easy, eager and colloquial…Maum shines when she writes about creativity, the slow burn and then sudden rush of ideas that lead Sloane to change her life. Having new ideas feels like love. We use the same liquid, luminous metaphors for both: lightning, fire, magma, light bulbs. But while love stories are almost mandatory parts of novels (including this one), good writing about creativity is rare. Maum captures that fragile, gratifying, urgent process.
Annalisa Quinn - New York Times Book Review
Touch is an interesting take on what life would be like if we just put down our phones and stepped away from the computer. Maum reminds us to not forget about those who are living and breathing right around us. Because a loving hug, tight squeeze, or simple touch is so much more fulfilling than a text.
Associated Press
At the heart of Maum’s smart, playful, satirical novel is the clash between technology and human interaction. . . . As she demonstrated so well in her previous novel, [Maum] brings astute social observations to relationships, whether workplace or romantic.
National Book Review
A sharp, poignant take on our digitally dependent lives.
Marie Claire
A hilarious workplace send-up and warm-hearted tale of a woman reconfiguring her priorities.
O Magazine
(Starred review.) Maum’s trenchant satirical novel is about the intersection of modern technology and human interaction.… [As] an incisive grasp of where tech and culture meet…[t]he book also captures the mid-life crisis of a woman at the top of her game…perceptive, thought-provoking .
Publishers Weekly
Maum perfectly captures the zeitgeist of our era as technology battles with humanity. Her thought-provoking, humorous book will inspire readers to forgo the electronics and get back to basics as simple as human touch. —Catherine Coyne, Mansfield P.L., MA
Library Journal
(Starred review.) In a work of zealous social critique laced with sexy romantic comedy…Maum’s incisive, charming, and funny novel ebulliently champions the healing powers of touch, the living world, and love in all its crazy risks, surprises, and sustaining radiance.
Booklist
Leave it to a work of fiction—Courtney Maum’s razor-sharp Touch—to bring this vexing issue into focus with compassion and wit.… Maum deftly manipulates [her] tantalizing setup…an entertaining frame for what will continue to be a lively debate.
BookPage
A trend forecaster foresees a solution to the loneliness of this hyperconnected world.… An uncomplicated novel about the complicated relationship between humans and the tech-heavy world.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. The theme of premonition—whether through trend forecasting, dreams, or uncanny visions—is central in Touch. Do you believe in the ability to predict the future? If you were a trend forecaster, what predictions would you make?
2. Why does Anastasia become so important to Sloane? What does their relationship say about Sloane’s ability to form connections?
3. Do you think that Sloane’s predictions about the future of human contact are correct? In what ways have you seen (or not seen) a movement against technology in favor of face-to-face interactions in society?
4. How does the death of Sloane’s father inform her decisions in life? Why was she ultimately able to move past his death and connect with her family again?
5. The relationship between Sloane and her sister, Leila, is complex. Discuss its up and downs. Did you find Sloane’s apology to Leila satisfying? What do you think their relationship will be like going forward?
6. What, in your mind, drew Sloane to Roman? Why did they stay together for so long? In what ways did he help—or hinder—Sloane’s career? Did you find him to be a likable character?
7. Why did Roman’s article about the death of penetrative sex prove to be so divisive? Are there ways in which augmented virtual reality can benefit society? In what ways is it frightening?
8. The title of the novel is somewhat open-ended: what does it mean to the different characters? What does the idea of touch embody within the context of the book?
9. The New York City setting is an important element of Touch. How do setting and location affect the characters? Could Sloane’s transformation have occurred in another place? Compare and contrast Sloane’s actions and decisions in her two different home countries.
10. Discuss the final confrontation between Sloane and Dax. What are the pros and cons of each of their arguments? Do you see tech and touch as a dichotomy?
11. Many of the main characters in Touch are mothers—Sloane’s mother, Jin’s mother, and Leila—and Sloane is initially defined by her opposition to parenthood. Discuss the various representations of motherhood in Touch. How do they compare with your own relationships or opinions about parenting?
(Questions issued by publisher.)