ICE Breakers
LIGHT PERPETUAL
BOOK OF THE MOMENT
Which character did you like best and why? Did your allegiance switch between characters throughout the book as their story developed?
What changes did you observe to Bexford and its inhabitants over the course of the story?
Were you surprised how Ben’s life turned out?
Do you expect clever Alec to have a different career path?
In which ways do you think they all wasted opportunities?
Who do you think was the stronger sister, Val or Jo?
How did the political and social changes resonate with your own experiences?
Did the novel make you curious about the original story behind the V-2 bombing at Woolworths in 1944?
Have you read ‘Golden Hill’ and how do you think the two books compare?
THE MEMORY KEEPER'S DAUGHTER
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Could you empathise with David’s decision to hand over Phoebe? How much do you think the life and death of June impacted his decision?
Do you think it is possible that Caroline could have started a new life with a baby who wasn’t her own without questions being asked?
Norah never seemed to be able to get over her grief at losing Phoebe, even over time. Do you think the level of her grief was believable?
If you were in Norah’s shoes, could you have ever forgiven David?
What were the qualities you liked and disliked in all the main characters: David, Norah, Caroline, Paul and Phoebe? Where did your sympathies lie?
I FEEL BAD ABOUT MY NECK
‘Knowing, funny and smart’ according to India Knight. Did your book club agree on this opinion?
Did Ephron's writings give you an insight behind the films that have made her famous?
Ephron is a lover of food and cooking. Her story of the vanishing Hungarian bakery is endearing. Did this story trigger conversations in your group about your own community and how food becomes a social currency in good times and bad?
Handbags may seen out of fashion in lock-down but this personal belonging becomes an early topic of discussion in ‘I hate my purse’. What stories resonated with you and how and why do you think Nora nails it as a woman?
Some in the Den felt her life was privileged, others were enlightened by her pithy commentary on life. How did your book group find her essays? Does her opinion and thought ‘on being a woman’ feel dated?
THE WILD CARD