Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
Introduction
One of the literary world's rising stars, Jennifer Haigh earned
coast-to-coast raves and the PEN/Hemingway Award for her debut,
Mrs. Kimble.
In her second novel, Haigh not only meets but surpasses the expectations
established by her first book.
Baker Towers traces the lives of three
generations in a community that tenderly echoes the American experience. A
family album peopled with vivid characters, this is the story of an America long
past, a haunting meditation on the passage of time.
Polish immigrant Stanley Novak worked the night shift in the coal mines of
western Pennsylvania, in close-knit Bakerton, a town named for its mines. When
he dies suddenly, his widow, Rose, is left to raise their five children. The
oldest son, George, becomes a soldier in World War II. Their daughter Joyce will
join the military as well, hoping the Air Force can give her opportunities that
working-class Bakerton could not. Her sister Dorothy takes a job in Washington,
D.C., where her fragile beauty and romantic ideals make her dangerously
vulnerable. The two youngest children grow up without a father while seeking
their places in a rapidly changing world. But at each turning point in love or
fortune or work, the siblings can't forget where they come from. Each, in his
own way, feels the inexorable pull of home.
Evoking a long-lost time and place with powerful precision,
Baker Towers
follows the Novak family through three decades of sweeping change. You'll not
soon forget their story.
Discussion Questions
- Do the opening paragraphs depict Bakerton as an oppressive community or a
utopia, or a combination of the two? Viewing the town itself as a character,
how would you describe its biography?
- Discuss the social distinctions embodied in the Novak family. What roles
did society prescribe for Rose and Stanley, based on gender and class? Did
their children lead more fulfilling lives than their parents?
- Do you attribute the differences between the siblings to temperament or
circumstance? How was each one affected by Stanley's death?
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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 Harper Perennial.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
