Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
About This Guide
The questions, discussion topics, and suggestions for further reading that follow are designed to enhance your group's discussion of
A Gate at the Stairs, the powerful, poignant, and laugh-out-loud story of a young woman's coming of age in the Midwest in the unsettling aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 2001 and America's buildup to war.
About This Book
Tassie Keltjin has come from a small farming town to attend college in Troy, "the Athens of the Midwest." She's swept into a thrilling world of books and films and riveting lectures, high-flying discussions about Bach, Balkanization, and bacterial warfare, and the witty repartee of her fellow students. At the end of the semester, Tassie takes a job as a part-time nanny for the newly adopted child of Sarah Brink, the owner of a trendy downtown restaurant, and her husband, Edward Thornwood, a scientist pursuing independent research. Tassie is enchanted by the little girl. Her feelings about Sarah and Edward are less easily defined, and as she becomes an integral part of their family, the mysteries of their lives and their relationship only deepen. She finds little to anchor her: a boyfriend turns out to be quite different from what he seems; vacations in her hometown are like visits to an alien country; and her loving, eccentric family no longer provides the certainties and continuity that shaped her childhood.
Lorrie Moore's ability to blend quick wit and hilarious observations of current trends with moving portraits of people struggling with loneliness, confusion, and the desire for love has made her one of the most admired writers of our time. Capturing the mood of post-9/11 America with astonishing deftness and precision,
A Gate at the Stairs showcases Moore at the height of her powers.
Reader's Guide
- In addition to her sense of humor and intelligence, what are Tassie's strengths as a narrator? How does what she describes as "an unseemly collection of jostling former selves" (p. 63) affect the narrative and contribute to the appeal of her tale?
- In the farming community where Tassie grew up, her father "seemed a vaguely contemptuous character. . . . His idiosyncrasies appeared to others to go beyond issues of social authenticity and got into questions of God and man and existence" (p. 19). Does the family, either intentionally or inadvertently, perpetuate their standing as outsiders? How does Moore use what ordinarily might be seen as clichés and stereotypes to create believable and sympathetic portraits of both the locals and the Keltjin family?
- How does the initial meeting between Tassie and Sarah (pp. 10-24) create a real, if hesitant, connection between them? What aspects of their personalities come out in their conversation? To what extent are their impressions of each other influenced by their personal needs, both practical and psychological?
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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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