Book Club Discussion Questions
For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, and our BookBrowse Review of The Love Wife.
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
The questions,
discussion topics, and suggested reading that follow are designed to enhance
your group's reading of Gish Jen's
The Love Wife. We hope they will
provide you with interesting ways of talking about this funny, touchingly
realistic novel about the new American family by the acclaimed author of
Typical
American and
Mona in the Promised Land.
- At the beginning of the novel, Blondie says, "At least I had my
family. Every happy family has its innocence. I suppose, looking back, this
was ours" (p. 4). Is her belief in the sanctity of the family shared by the
others? In what ways does her upbringing and her position within the Bailey
family as "the throwback, a plain Jane who seemed to have no part in certain
family games" (p. 70) influence her point of view?
- How does Mama Wong's Alzheimer's affect Carnegie's feelings about
her? In what ways do his reactions offer insights not only into her character
but into Carnegie's as well? Compare his feelings and the way he expresses
them to Blondie's blunter observations about her mother-in-law. Are the
differences based purely on their relationship to Mama Wong and her treatment
of each of them? How does Jen capture the poignancy, the frustration, and even
the humor of dealing with an Alzheimer's patient?
- Several decades separate the arrivals of Mama Wong and Lan in America.
What insights do their backgrounds provide into the position of women in
Chinese society both before and after the Communist takeover? Using
Carnegie's retelling of Mama Wong's story (p. 30) and Lan's thoughts as
she settles into the household (pp. 39-50) and her description of her life in
China (p. 95—102) as a starting point, discuss the ways in which their
expectations and their experiences as immigrants differ and what they have in
common. What do their comments about life in America bring to light about the
changes in this country during that same period?
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- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Vintage.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
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