The Art of Saying Goodbye - Ellyn Bache [115]
Ellyn Bache
Questions for Discussion
1. In many ways, Paisley is the star of the suburban development where she lives—the pretty one who’s nice to everyone, who gives the best parties, who seems to enjoy raising her daughters and living her conventional life. In what ways does her “stardom” inspire varying emotions in her neighbors? Overall, how do they regard her before she gets sick? How does this affect the way they feel after they learn she’s ill?
2. Julianne is horrified by what she sees as her dark “gift” of diagnosis. Her ex-husband thinks it has a more rational explanation. Which one do you agree with? Why?
3. Although Paisley’s illness causes her neighbors to experience a wide range of emotions—everything from disbelief to sadness—at times some of them feel less than sympathetic. Which ones struggle with this most? In what ways do their feelings rise directly from Paisley’s situation, and in what ways do they rise from their own, personal issues?
4. Who is the most selfish, and who is the most unselfish, in terms of the way she feels about Paisley? How is this reflected in the way she acts?
5. Ginger has never been as close with Paisley as some of her neighbors, but when Paisley gets sick, she feels helpless. How does she finally resolve this? Discuss how the theme of helplessness is played out with some of the other characters.
6. Iona is older than the other women in the novel, and more cynical. Yet early on, Paisley brings her into their circle by inviting her to her hot tub party. Why do you think she does this?
7. What do you make of Iona’s shifting relationship with her stepson and his wife? Why does she respond so powerfully to the prayer meeting she doesn’t want to attend? At the end of the book, do you think she is a different person than she was at the beginning? If so, what caused her transformation?
8. Andrea is grateful to Paisley for her kindness when her daughter was sick. She wants to play the same role for Paisley, but she feels shut out. Is she, really?
9. Early in the novel, Julianne muses that Andrea’s life is still dominated by the illness of a child who got well ten years ago. Why do you think Andrea is finally able to take action and free herself from that bondage?
10. Paisley helps people in some unconventional ways. What is your sense of the rightness or wrongness of her approach in various situations?
11. What do we learn about Paisley in the sections told from Paisley’s point of view? How do those sections influence the way you think about her?
12. Which of Paisley’s neighbors do you like best? Least? Why?
13. To the people in the neighborhood, Andrea’s daughter, Courtney, seems such an angry, unappealing teenager that the little children call her “growly-face.” Is she as unsympathetic as she seems? Overall, what is your assessment of her?
14. On the outside, Brynne is amazingly self-contained for a girl of fourteen. She tries to ease her mother’s pain and to explain things to her younger sister. How do you account for her calm exterior and apparent maturity? Julianne fears for her. Should she?
15. Discuss the roles of the other young people in the book. Ginger’s twelve-year-old daughter, Rachel, has always idolized Brynne. How does Paisley’s illness change that? Is Ginger’s son, Max, as clueless as he seems? What function does eight-year-old Melody play?
16. Given that we see the men in the novel only through the eyes of the women, what do you think of Paisley’s husband, Mason, and Ginger’s husband, Eddie? Is there a hero in the book? A villain?
17. Julianne’s relationship with her ex-husband, Bill, is complicated by his niceness, which Julianne resents. Does Bill provide a powerful, if unwanted, support