READING GROUP QUESTIONS
2. Ellen’s definition of “home” changes by the end of the novel. What really makes a house a home?
3. To what extent do people have to give up their dreams once they’re married? Each of the characters in the book struggled to articulate his or her own dream and live it, while still trying to consider the needs of spouses and children. Which characters achieved their dreams? Were the sacrifices involved too much?
4. Ellen is very self-sufficient. Is there anything “out of balance” in Ellen’s relationships with her friends and/or family members?
5. What is the definition of being heroic? Who was the hero in the book?
6. Some people love the idea of a fresh start and feel the need to move every few years. Why is Jordan’s approach to her own move so different from Ellen’s? Whose approach is more realistic? More common? Why?
7. Feeling vulnerable can open one up to relationships that otherwise might be unthinkable. Why are Ellen and Jeffrey drawn to each other? Is their mutual attraction based only on their situations? Why or why not?
8. Could Jordan and Ellen ever have been friends, if they met under different circumstances?
9. Given that Ellen seems to be a woman who “has it all” in many respects, what is it that is really driving her to divorce?
10. Where do you think Ellen gets her strength? Why would a woman like Ellen engage in risky behaviors such as attempted arson and romance with a married man?
11. Have you ever gone back to a home you loved and left? Was it what you expected?
12. Ellen has trouble understanding Jordan’s fascination with where she went to college. Are there real regional differences like this across the U.S.? Or was Jordan’s attitude more a function of her own personality than her east coast upbringing?
