QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Warning: contains spoilers!

  1. The three main characters in the story are very different. Who did you relate to most and why?
  2. Only one of the women, Priyanka, confides in her husband about the letter. Would you have done the same thing?
  3. The theme of individual versus communal is explored in the book. Was Jess justified in pushing the others to consider the greater good? To what extent should they have set their own needs aside?
  4. Jess’s mother has dementia. Why do you think the author chose that condition, and what was she trying to convey by showing us Jess’s visits to the care home?
  5. Priyanka considers herself immature, the baby of her family, with a complicated past. Why do you think she decides to get rid of the butterfly tattoo? What effect does this have on her immediate life?
  6. Stephanie appears to be a woman who has everything her own way, but it gradually unfolds that this is far from the case. Did you like her? Why do you think the author chose to depict a character like her?
  7. Art plays an important yet almost hidden part in the story. Given Holly’s limited options, in the end she went for posthumous success. Did you find this comforting, or unfair, sad?
  8. Doors and keys feature throughout, symbolizing the haves and have-nots in society. How much does disadvantage figure into the story? Would that night at the Montague Club have played out differently if Nicky had been from an affluent background?
  9. “Nicky was out for herself and deserved what happened.” Some people might say this about her or think it silently. Do you agree? Did you change your mind during the course of the book?
  10. The women start out opposed but grow closer. Do you think they ended up friends? How much do you imagine they stayed in each other’s lives?
  11. What do you think is the significance of the book’s title? Do you think the men deserved to be punished? Why or why not?