1. The narrator, as a little girl, sees her mother’s world as “mysterious.” How does that perception change over time? How does it stay the same?
2. Do you know any alcoholics or addicts? How does Joanne seem similar to or different from them? What qualities make her likable? What qualities make her less so?
3. Do any minor characters stand out for you? How do these characters move the story forward or help you understand the major characters?
4. Joanne lived in a place and an era when fewer mothers worked outside the home. Do you think her story would have unfolded differently today?
5. In the final chapter, the narrator refers to the house she bought with her inheritance as a gift. What other gifts does she receive from her family? From her mother? What gifts does she offer? What gifts have you given and received in your own family?
6. What role does water play in the relationship between mother and daughter? Is it significant that the narrator is heading for San Francisco Bay as the story ends?