Discussion Guide Questions

  1. A major theme of The Edge of Summer is family history. Do you know your family’s history? Are there any mysteries in your family you’ve always wondered about? Any secrets that have been revealed? Have you done any genealogy research? What did you discover that you never knew?
  2. Another major theme in the novel is family itself. How do you define your family? What does it mean to you?
  3. Have you ever been deeply wounded or betrayed by a family member? Why? How did that change your life?
  4. Sutton’s relationship with her mother is central to the novel. Did you ever wish your mother was different, or more demonstrative with her affection? Did your relationship change as you aged? And did you view your mother differently as you each grew older? How?
  5. Sewing is, pardon the pun, threaded throughout the novel. My grandmothers sewed, and I spent my childhood watching them make my clothes and our quilts. Do you sew? What do you make? Did anyone in your family sew? What does it mean to you?
  6. Did the women in your family collect buttons in button jars or tins? Do you still have them? Do you collect buttons? (I do. And I still have all of my mom’s and grandmas’ buttons.)
  7. My grandmothers were working poor, and the value—and history—of a button meant the world to them. Do you think we’re losing touch with the value of a dollar? Do you think we’re losing touch with our heirlooms and traditions?
  8. I lost my father-in-law and dear friends to Covid, and it has changed my life profoundly. Sutton and Tug have both lost family members to Covid. Did the pandemic cause you to rethink or change your life in any way?
  9. I live in the Michigan resort town about which I write. Where is your favorite place to vacation? Does it hold special significance to you?
  10. I often write about characters who desperately want to be loved but often feel “unworthy” of love, a way I felt for much of my life. Have you ever felt that way? What caused that?
  11. Faith is foundational in my novels. What does your faith mean to you? How does it help guide you through difficult times?
  12. Every novel I write is meant as a tribute to our elders. Did your elders impact your life? How so?