Emma in the Night
Wendy Walker, 2017
St. Martin's Press
320 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781250141439
Summary
One night three years ago, the Tanner sisters disappeared: fifteen-year-old Cass and seventeen-year-old Emma.
Three years later, Cass returns, without her sister Emma. Her story is one of kidnapping and betrayal, of a mysterious island where the two were held.
But to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter, something doesn't add up. Looking deep within this dysfunctional family Dr. Winter uncovers a life where boundaries were violated and a narcissistic parent held sway.
And where one sister's return might just be the beginning of the crime.
Bestselling author Wendy Walker returns with another winning thriller, Emma in the Night. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1966-67
• Where—Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA
• Education—B.A., Brown University; J.D., Georgetown University
• Currently—lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut
Wendy Walker was born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, where she still lives, practicing law and and writing novels.
She earned her undergraduate degree from Brown Univeristy, spending a year abroad at the London School of Economics, then heading to Georgetown University for her law degree. She has been a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs and is now a family lawyer.
Divorced and the mother of three sons, Walker recalled writing her first novel "on the fly in her minivan," as The New York Times put it—a la J.K. Rowling, without the welfare check."
That first novel was Four Wives (2008), set in the fictional town of Hunting Ridge in wealthy Fairfield County. Walker's next two novels, Social Lives (2009) and All is Not Forgotten (2016), a thriller, are also set in her native Fairfield County. Emma in the Night (2017) is Walker's fourth novel. (Adapted from the author's website and various online sources. Retrieved 7/19/2017.)
Book Reviews
Finally, where's Emma? If this were a better book, we would be on tenterhooks about that question throughout. Instead, there's so much else going on that solving the riddle of her disappearance sometimes shrinks into a minor matter. But Emma is not forgotten. Rest assured that the opportunity for a big, exploitative here-comes-Emma scene does not go to waste.
Janet Maslin - New York Times
(Starred review.) In this searing psychological thriller.…Walker's portrayal of the ways in which a narcissistic, self-involved mother can affect her children deepens the plot as it builds to a shocking finale.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) Both twisted and twisty, this smart psychological thriller sets a new standard for unreliable narrators.
Booklist
A tense thriller explores the bond between sisters and family dynamics that give new meaning to the term "dysfunctional."…This thriller aims right for the heart and never lets go.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our GENERIC MYSTERY QUESTIONS to start a discussion for Emma in the Night ... then take off on your own:
GENERIC DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Mystery / Crime / Suspense Thrillers
1. Talk about the characters, both good and bad. Describe their personalities and motivations. Are they fully developed and emotionally complex? Or are they flat, one-dimensional heroes and villains?
2. What do you know...and when do you know it? At what point in the book do you begin to piece together what happened?
3. Good crime writers embed hidden clues in plain sight, slipping them in casually, almost in passing. Did you pick them out, or were you...clueless? Once you've finished the book, go back to locate the clues hidden in plain sight. How skillful was the author in burying them?
4. Good crime writers also tease us with red-herrings—false clues—to purposely lead readers astray? Does your author try to throw you off track? If so, were you tripped up?
5. Talk about the twists & turns—those surprising plot developments that throw everything you think you've figured out into disarray.
- Do they enhance the story, add complexity, and build suspense?
- Are they plausible or implausible?
- Do they feel forced and gratuitous—inserted merely to extend the story?
6. Does the author ratchet up the suspense? Did you find yourself anxious—quickly turning pages to learn what happened? A what point does the suspense start to build? Where does it climax...then perhaps start rising again?
7. A good ending is essential in any mystery or crime thriller: it should ease up on tension, answer questions, and tidy up loose ends. Does the ending accomplish those goals?
- Is the conclusion probable or believable?
- Is it organic, growing out of clues previously laid out by the author (see Question 3)?
- Or does the ending come out of the blue, feeling forced or tacked-on?
- Perhaps it's too predictable.
- Can you envision a different or better ending?
8. Are there certain passages in the book—ideas, descriptions, or dialogue—that you found interesting or revealing...or that somehow struck you? What lines, if any, made you stop and think?
9. Overall, does the book satisfy? Does it live up to the standards of a good crime story or suspense thriller? Why or why not?
(Generic Mystery Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
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The Incendaries
R.O. Kwon, 2018
Penguin Publishing
224 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780735213890
Summary
A powerful, darkly glittering novel of violence, love, faith, and loss, as a young woman at an elite American university is drawn into acts of terrorism by a cult tied to North Korea.
Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet their first month at prestigious Edwards University. Phoebe is a glamorous girl who doesn't tell anyone she blames herself for her mother's recent death. Will is a misfit scholarship boy who transfers to Edwards from Bible college, waiting tables to get by. What he knows for sure is that he loves Phoebe.
Grieving and guilt-ridden, Phoebe is increasingly drawn into a religious group—a secretive extremist cult—founded by a charismatic former student, John Leal. He has an enigmatic past that involves North Korea and Phoebe's Korean American family.
Meanwhile, Will struggles to confront the fundamentalism he's tried to escape, and the obsession consuming the one he loves. When the group bombs several buildings in the name of faith, killing five people, Phoebe disappears. Will devotes himself to finding her, tilting into obsession himself, seeking answers to what happened to Phoebe and if she could have been responsible for this violent act.
The Incendiaries is a fractured love story and a brilliant examination of the minds of extremist terrorists, and of what can happen to people who lose what they love most.
Named a "Most Anticipated Book of 2018" by the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Elle, Time, Parade, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, PBS, Vulture, Buzzfeed, BookRiot, PopSugar, Refinery29, Bustle, The Millions, The Rumpus, Paste, BBC. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
R.O. Kwon is a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellow. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, Vice, BuzzFeed, Noon, Time, Electric Literature, Playboy, San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere.
She has received awards and fellowships from Yaddo, MacDowell, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, Omi International, and the Norman Mailer Writers' Colony. Born in South Korea, she’s mostly lived in the United States. (Adapted from the publisher.)
Book Reviews
Radiant.… A dark, absorbing story of how first love can be as intoxicating and dangerous as religious fundamentalism.
New York Times Book Review
A sharp, little novel as hard to ignore as a splinter in your eye.… In a nation still so haunted by the divine promise, on the cusp of ever-more contentious debates about abortion and other intrinsically spiritual issues, The Incendiaries arrives at precisely the right moment.
Washington Post
Kwon is a writer of many talents, and The Incendiaries is a debut of dark, startling beauty.
San Francisco Chronicle
A stunning debut… After this impressive introduction of her work to the world, we’re excited to see where Kwon takes us in the future.
Marie Claire
Kwon’s multi-faceted narrative portrays America’s dark, radical strain, exploring the lure of fundamentalism, our ability to be manipulated, and what can happen when we’re willing to do anything for a cause.
Atlantic
Remarkable… Every page blooms with sensuous language and the book’s mood is otherworldly, even if its setting, a wealthy college in the Northeast, isn’t… These are characters in quiet crisis, burning, above all, to know themselves, and Kwon leads them, confidently, to an enthralling end.
Paris Review
A fairy-tale quality reminiscent of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. [The Incendiaries is] the rare depiction of belief that doesn’t kill the thing it aspires to by trying too hard. It makes a space, and then steps away to let the mystery in.
New Yorker
Religion, politics, and love collide in this slim but powerful novel reminiscent of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, with menace and mystery lurking in every corner.
People
Written in dazzling, spare prose…Kwon’s novel expertly addresses questions of faith and identity while managing to be formally inventive in its construction.… In this intriguing cult story, Kwon thoroughly explores her characters’ motivations, making for an urgent and disarming debut.
Publishers Weekly
Kwon successfully defines her characters’ depth while maintaining an air of intrigue and suspense. Throughout, she looks at the imperfections in all our lives and how our interactions may lead us down paths unbeknownst to ourselves. With a breezy yet intense style, newcomer Kwon is a writer to watch. —Shirley Quan, Orange Cty. P.L., Santa Ana, CA
Library Journal
A first-time novelist explores identity, deception, and obsession…. The narrative is so slow and so superficial that the climax is anticlimactic.… Aesthetically pleasing but narratively underwhelming.
Kirkus Reviews
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 INCENDIARIES ... then take off on your own:
1. At its core, The Incendiaries is about religious fervor. How does the novel portray faith, both its blessings and dangers?
2. How would you describe Will and Phoebe? What draws them together; what is it about Phoebe, especially, that attracts Will?
3. Why does the author choose Will to tell this story?
4. Both Phoebe and Will are searching for something that will bring meaning to their lives. What about their lives makes them feel empty or incomplete?
5. All three main characters, including John Leal, do not reveal the full truth about themselves. What is each hiding—and why?
6. Trace the development of John's religious faith. Kwon writes that John wasn't "just his Lord's child. He often had to be his substitute." What does she mean?
7. On his return to America, John targets Phoebe for his newly born mission. Why Phoebe? What makes her susceptible to his blandishments?
8. Why are religious cults so attractive: what do they offer, how do they drawn in new followers, and how do they keep them enthralled?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)
Writers & Lovers
Lily King, 2020
Grove/Atlantic
320 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780802148537
Summary
A novel of art, love, and ambition and an unforgettable portrait of an artist as a young woman—from Lily King, the New York Times bestselling author of Euphoria.
Blindsided by her mother’s sudden death, and wrecked by a recent love affair, Casey Peabody has arrived in Massachusetts in the summer of 1997 without a plan. Her mail consists of wedding invitations and final notices from debt collectors.
A former child golf prodigy, she now waits tables in Harvard Square and rents a tiny, moldy room at the side of a garage where she works on the novel she’s been writing for six years. At thirty-one, Casey is still clutching onto something nearly all her old friends have let go of: the determination to live a creative life.
When she falls for two very different men at the same time, her world fractures even more. Casey’s fight to fulfill her creative ambitions and balance the conflicting demands of art and life is challenged in ways that push her to the brink.
Writers & Lovers follows Casey—a smart and achingly vulnerable protagonist—in the last days of a long youth, a time when every element of her life comes to a crisis.
Written with King’s trademark humor, heart, and intelligence, Writers & Lovers is a transfixing novel that explores the terrifying and exhilarating leap between the end of one phase of life and the beginning of another. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1963
• Where—State of Massachusetts, USA
• Education—B.A., University of North Carolina; M.A., Syracuse University
• Awards—Whiting Writers' Award; Raymon Carver Prize; New England Book Award; 2 Maine Fiction Awards
• Currently—lives in Yarmouth, Maine
Lily King is the author of several well-regarded novels, which have achieved numerous "best novel" and "editor choice" citations, as well as literary prizes and nominations.
King grew up in Massachusetts and received her B.A. in English Literature from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her M.A. in Creative Writing from Syracuse University. She has taught English and Creative Writing at several universities and high schools in this country and abroad. She lives in Maine.
Books
1999 - The Pleasing Hour
2005 - The English Teacher
2010 - Father of the Rain
2014 - Euphoria
2020 - Writers & Lovers: A Novel
Lily is the recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship and a Whiting Writer's Award. Her short fiction has appeared in literary magazines including Ploughshares and Glimmer Train, as well as in several anthologies. (Bio adapted from the publisher 3/3/2020.)
Book Reviews
A comic and compassionate novel…. It shares with [Euphoria] a fascination with the difficulty of defining the worth of one’s life when the familiar markers of adult achievement are slow to materialize. With wit and what reads like deep insider wisdom, Ms. King captures the chronic low-level panic of taking a leap into the artsy unknown and finding yourself adrift, without land or rescue in sight.
Maureen Corrigan - Wall Street Journal
King has created a woman on the cusp of personal fulfillment and strong enough to stand on her own…. The novel is a meditation on trying itself: to stay alive, to love, to care. That point feels so fresh, so powerfully diametrically opposed to the readily available cynicism we’ve been feasting on…. King wants us to keep trying, through whatever means necessary, to beat the odds.
Boston Globe
This smooth, deliberate chronicle of creation keeps the men in their place and Casey firmly rooted at the center of her own story. Instead of casting her as a woman torn between archetypes of male creativity, Writers & Lovers portrays her as a woman in thrall to her own generative processes, a devotee to the art of (her own) attention.
Los Angeles Times
King captures the agita of an early-life crisis and the eccentricities of a writer’s life, spiking the narrative with wit, sumptuous imagery and hilarious skewerings of literary elitism.
People
[I]ntimate and vulnerable…. Lily King's novel follows a deeply relatable protagonist navigating a whole menu of crises surrounded by a cast of genuine, vivid characters…. [T]he book occupies a small space, but packs it to the brim with humanity.
Entertainment Weekly
A knowing look at the pursuit of a life in the arts, with a protagonist you'll root for.
Marie Claire
[E]legant, droll…. While King’s resolutions of Casey’s financial, emotional, and creative challenges don’t feel uniformly convincing, the nimble, astute narration appeals. This meditation on the passing of youth is touching and ruefully funny.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review) [Written] with the skill and assurance…. [T]he book is also funny and romantic and hard to put down, full of well-observed details of restaurant culture and writer's workshops. It's hard to imagine a reader who wouldn't root for Casey. —Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis
Library Journal
(Starred review) King leaves no barrier between readers and smart, genuine, cynical, and funny Casey. A closely observed tale of finding oneself, and one's voice, while working through grief.
Booklist
(Starred review) [T]his charmingly written coming-of-age story would be an impressive debut novel. But after the originality and impact of Euphoria, it might feel a bit slight. Read this for insights about writing,… losing one's mother,… [and] dealing with a cranky sous-chef.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Set in Boston in 1997, Writers & Lovers is a transitional moment in a young woman’s life who suffers from anxiety and has trust and abandonment issues. Talk about Casey’s character, her personality, her ambitions, and her thoughts on marriage: "It was nothing I ever aspired to" (p. 72). Is she relatable? How or how not? Then discuss how your perspective of the protagonist changed over the course of the novel.
2. Geese are prominently featured in the novel and are known to be very loyal birds that mate for life and protect their young. Talk about how the geese are used as symbols in the story. Why do you think Casey chooses the geese to honor her mother’s memory? Did you also think her tribute was "weird"?
3. How do the city of Boston and the restaurant, Iris, function as characters? In what ways are the worker’s lives influenced by their place of employment? Casey comes to consider members of the staff such as Harry, Mary Hand, and Victor Silva as part of her extended family. Observe how they, in turn, affect Casey and their importance to the story.
4. Casey’s mother and father have given her plenty of reasons to mistrust them. Compare Casey’s relationship with her mother with that of her father. To which parent is she closest and why? If she hadn’t discovered her father’s voyeurism (p. 278) do you think she would have forgiven her mother and moved in with her? Explain your answers.
5. On several occasions during the novel Casey suffers extreme anxiety attacks. Persistent thoughts of her mother’s death, her father’s betrayal, crushing debt, and recent medical scares, leave Casey feeling like her "whole body is a bell" (p. 287). Speak about the ways her anxiety hinders her life and how she copes.
6. Throughout the novel, Muriel is often the calming voice of reason and the most stable relationship in Casey’s life. Talk about their friendship and how the author avoids the trope of toxic female friendships.
7. We’re introduced to Luke early in the story, but the repercussions of that failed relationship linger. Consider Luke’s role and how his actions affected Casey’s relationships with Oscar and, especially, Silas?
8. Take a closer look at how King uses Casey’s novel, Love and the Revolution, to explore the grieving process. Think of a time in your life when writing helped you to overcome a difficult period and share what you learned from that experience.
9. When Casey decides to commit to just dating Oscar, she says, "I’m done with the seesaw, the hot and cold, the guys who don’t know or can’t tell you what they want" (p. 199). How does your opinion of Oscar change after they start dating? Compare Casey’s relationship with Oscar to that of her relationship with Silas; what draws the couples together and what tears them apart? Do you agree with her choice of partner at the end of the novel? How would your decision have differed from that of Casey’s?
10. A major theme of the book is Casey’s past and current lovers and how those relationships impacted her. On page 239, Paco, her ex from Barcelona, says to her, "You hate men" (p. 239). Do you agree with him? Examine if King successfully addressed this one way or the other. Give examples to support your views.
11. On page 223, Casey says, "My father had this kind of drama in him, sudden surges of despair about life and wasted chances and breaks he never got. I figured that an actually successful man like Oscar would have outgrown all that crap." What should we make of this comparison to her father and what does it say about Oscar’s character? Do you think she was being fair? Why or why not?
12. Casey remembers, "It’s Star of Ashtabula who reminds me of my mother" (p. 241). Why do you think Silas and his story come to mean so much to her?
13. We discover later in the novel that Casey isn’t her real name her father started calling her that after his favorite poem, "Casey at the Bat." On page 213, she tells Oscar, "That’s me. Named for a guy who struck out when it mattered most." What does this say about her self-esteem and how she views herself? Why do you think Casey shared this part of herself with Oscar when she kept so many other things a secret?
14. Take the discussion a step further and consider why, after years of estrangement from her father, she still chooses to identify by that name? Reflect on the significance of the author revealing Casey’s real name, Camila, in the very next chapter when she is contacted by an agent hoping to represent her. What might King be trying to say about identity?
15. The theme of having a room of one’s own, the privacy to write to her fullest potential is always on Casey’s mind. In what ways does she compensate for not having an ideal place to write? How did learning about Casey’s writing process impact your reading and connection to the character? What do you think inspires Casey to write?
(Questions by Katurah Jenkins; issued by the publisher.)
The Address
Fiona Davis, 2017
Penguin Publishing
368 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781524741990
Summary
Fiona Davis, author of The Dollhouse, returns with a compelling novel about the thin lines between love and loss, success and ruin, passion and madness, all hidden behind the walls of The Dakota—New York City’s most famous residence.
After a failed apprenticeship, working her way up to head housekeeper of a posh London hotel is more than Sara Smythe ever thought she’d make of herself.
But when a chance encounter with Theodore Camden, one of the architects of the grand New York apartment house The Dakota, leads to a job offer, her world is suddenly awash in possibility—no mean feat for a servant in 1884.
The opportunity to move to America, where a person can rise above one’s station. The opportunity to be the female manager of The Dakota, which promises to be the greatest apartment house in the world. And the opportunity to see more of Theo, who understands Sara like no one else …and is living in The Dakota with his wife and three young children.
In 1985, Bailey Camden is desperate for new opportunities. Fresh out of rehab, the former party girl and interior designer is homeless, jobless, and penniless.
Two generations ago, Bailey’s grandfather was the ward of famed architect Theodore Camden. But the absence of a genetic connection means Bailey won’t see a dime of the Camden family’s substantial estate. Instead, her "cousin" Melinda—Camden’s biological great-granddaughter—will inherit almost everything.
So when Melinda offers to let Bailey oversee the renovation of her lavish Dakota apartment, Bailey jumps at the chance, despite her dislike of Melinda’s vision. The renovation will take away all the character and history of the apartment Theodore Camden himself lived in… and died in, after suffering multiple stab wounds by a madwoman named Sara Smythe, a former Dakota employee who had previously spent seven months in an insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island.
One hundred years apart, Sara and Bailey are both tempted by and struggle against the golden excess of their respective ages — for Sara, the opulence of a world ruled by the Astors and Vanderbilts; for Bailey, the free-flowing drinks and cocaine in the nightclubs of New York City — and take refuge and solace in the Upper West Side’s gilded fortress.
But a building with a history as rich — and often tragic — as The Dakota’s can’t hold its secrets forever, and what Bailey discovers in its basement could turn everything she thought she knew about Theodore Camden—and the woman who killed him—on its head.
With rich historical detail, nuanced characters, and gorgeous prose, Fiona Davis once again delivers a compulsively readable novel that peels back the layers of not only a famed institution, but the lives—and lies—of the beating hearts within. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1966-67
• Where—Canada
• Raised—New Jersey, Utah, and Texas, USA
• Education—B.A., College of William and Mary; M.A., Columbia University
• Currently—lives in New York, New York
Fiona Davis was born in Canada and raised in New Jersey, Utah, and Texas. She began her career in New York City as an actress, where she worked on Broadway, off-Broadway and in regional theater. After 10 years, she changed careers, working as an editor and writer and specializing in health, fitness, nutrition, dance and theater.
She’s a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and is based in in New York City. She loves nothing better than hitting farmer’s markets on weekends in search of the perfect tomato, and traveling to foreign cities steeped in history, like London and Cartagena. The Dollhouse (2016) is her first novel; her second is The Address (2017) (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
A delicious tale of love, lies and madness.
People Magazine
[C]ompelling, historically minded fiction with unexpected — and entertaining — twists and turns…the novel delights.
Ms. Magazine
Lively and detail rich…with a thread of mystery that makes it easy to enjoy, hard to put down.
Family Circle
Spanning over 100 years, Fiona Davis’ mystery is packed with deceit.
Us Weekly
Davis overlays the two histories beautifully.… But while the setting is captivating, the facts…tend toward the melodramatic. Readers interested in Gilded Age New York will appreciate this light historical drama, but predictable moments and a convenient resolution will leave others wanting.
Publishers Weekly
With her nimble writing style, Davis makes pithy commentary on gender, social and economic inequality in both eras.… This thought-provoking book makes you wonder what Edith Wharton would have made of these Camdens and pseudo-Camdens. Thankfully, Davis is here to tell us.
BookPage
Though her characters lack depth…the historical asides…are fun to read. The writing is only serviceable, but this jam-packed narrative unfolds at a brisk clip — even if, in the end, the convoluted plot turns have a dizzying effect.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, please use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for The Address … then take off on your own:
1. Whose story and/or character engaged you more, Sara Smythe's or Baily Camden's … and why? What similarities do you find between the two young women? Overall, are the characters well developed?
2. What does the novel reveal about the position women occupied at the end of the 19th century?
3. How well do you think Fiona Davis deals with the sections regarding Sara's mental illness and its treatment in the 19th century? How well does she handle Bailey's in the 20th?
4. Talk about the changes within the Dakota from in 1884 to 1985. Is the author's inclusion of historical and architectural detail of interest to you …or does it bog down the pace?
5. Do you find that the shifting back and forth between timeframes enhances … or detracts from your reading experience? Discuss the differences and/or similarities between the Gilded Age and the "greed is good" age.
6. Bailey disapproves of Melinda's desire to update her apartment within the Dakota. What in particular does Bailey dislike? Should residents living in an older building honor its historical integrity, or do they have a right to update, even remake, their living spaces? What do you think?
7. How surprised were you by the various plot twists in the novel. What about the twist at the end, caught off guard … or saw it coming?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
In Five Years
Rebecca Serle, 2020
Atria Books
272 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781982137441
Summary
A striking, powerful, and moving love story following an ambitious lawyer who experiences an astonishing vision that could change her life forever.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Cohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready.
Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.
But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.
After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.
That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.
Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Rebecca Serle is an author and television writer, who spends her time between New York and Los Angeles. Serle received her MFA from the New School in NYC and has written a number of young adult novels. In 2017 she co-developed the hit TV series, Famous in Love, an adaptation of her YA series.
Serle published her first adult novel, The Dinner List, in 2018, followed by In Five Years, which came out in 2020. (Adapted from the publisher).
Book Reviews
[A] bewitching story of love and friendship…. While the plot hinges on well-worn tropes, the deadpan prose highlights the author’s keen sense of irony. Serle’s whimsical tale is book club catnip.
Publishers Weekly
Searle's second novel ponders the question: Where do you see yourself in five years?… Emotional hooks alongside moments of humor and self-awareness will remind readers of Jojo Moyes's Me Before You. —Melanie Kindrachuk, Stratford P.L., Ont.
Library Journal
Serle takes a fairly generic rom-com setup and turns it into something much deeper in this captivating exploration of friendship, loss, and love
Booklist
Dannie Kohan has had the perfect day.… [But] as the architecture of Dannie's overplanned life disintegrates, Serle twists and twines the remnants of her dream into a surprising future. A heartwarming portrait of a broken heart finding a little healing magic.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. From the very beginning of the book, we learn that Dannie has rules and plans laid out for everything in her life. Do you believe this helps or hinders her? How does her philosophy regarding keeping everything in its place change over the course of the novel?
2. To Dannie, the law is "like poetry, but poetry with outcome, poetry with concrete meaning—with actionable power" (page 10). Later she describes the law by saying that "everything is there in black and white" (page 142). How does the law empower Dannie? To what extent do you think the law shapes how rigidly she sees the world? As the book goes on, power is often taken out of Dannie’s hands. Do you think her background makes this lack of control harder for her than it might be for others?
3. While Bella is a tragic character, she is not painted simply in an angelic light. Early on in the story, Dannie describes her as being "spoiled, mercurial, and more than a little bit magical" (page 6). Is Bella’s portrayal as a complicated, sometimes flawed character unique given the ending of the book and the typical depiction of the tragic heroine?
4. The scene between Dannie and Aaron in Chapter 3 is mirrored by the same scene in Chapter 41. How did your impressions of the two characters change over the course of the book? Why do you think the author chose to frame the story with two identical scenes that will mean different things to the reader at different points in the story?
5. Bella gifts Dannie a print by the artist Allen Grubesic that reads: I WAS YOUNG I NEEDED THE MONEY. All the characters in the book are well-off financially by the time we meet them. What do you think the print’s message means in the context of the story?
6. Dannie believes that "Bella lives in a world I do not understand, populated by phrases and philosophies that apply only to people like her. People, maybe, who do not yet know tragedy" (pages 44–45). How do you think the death of Dannie’s brother at such a young age affects her outlook? Do you think she envies Bella for not carrying a similar burden, or does she look up to her for it? How do you think the fact that Dannie has already lost someone close to her affects her when Bella’s diagnosis is revealed?
7. Bella introduces her new boyfriend as Greg, but, of course, Dannie already knows him as Aaron and has a hard time referring to him as anything other than Aaron. Why do you think he is introduced to us with two different names? Is Bella’s version of him different from Dannie’s version of him?
8. Dannie visits a therapist, Dr. Christine, once after her dream and once after she meets Aaron in real life. Why do you think she sees Dr. Christine only twice? What decisions does Dannie make after leaving these appointments?
9. How does Dannie and Bella’s relationship change after Bella’s diagnosis? How does it affect the other relationships in Dannie’s and Bella’s lives? Why do you think it’s easier for Bella to be around Aaron than it is for her to be around Dannie?
10. Were you surprised that Dannie and Aaron kissed when he reveals that the apartment is a gift from Bella? Do you think it amounts to a betrayal of Bella’s trust? How does Dannie and Aaron’s connection to Bella intensify their own relationship?
11. Fate is a concept that is played with often throughout the novel. Dannie fights to change the fate she saw laid out in her vision. Aaron told Bella he was fated to end up with her. How do fate and free will interact in the novel? Do you think the book comes down on the side of one over the other?
12. Near the end of the book, Bella tells Dannie that she is meant to have love beyond her wildest dreams because "that’s the way you love me" (page 205). How does the book portray the roles of romantic and platonic love? How did the book subvert the idea that the great love of Dannie’s life would be one of the two men we were introduced to at the beginning of the novel?
13. Were you surprised that Dannie and Aaron did not end up together? What do you think this means for Dannie’s journey and her future relationships?
14. Magical realism is an element of the story but only when it comes to Dannie’s ability to see one evening five years in her future. Why do you think there’s a magical component in this one instance but nowhere else? Did the book’s hyperrealistic premise affect your expectations for how it would end?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)