The Forgotten Waltz Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Adultery in Literature and our BookBrowse Review of The Forgotten Waltz.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. How does Gina's relationship with Seán evolve throughout the story? Is she ever truly in love with him? What does it say about Gina that she was "slightly repulsed" by Seán after they slept together for the first time?


2. In what ways does the book's setting, that of early 2000s boom Ireland and the recession that followed, intertwine with Gina and Seán's relationship? Is the setting a metaphor for their affair or is the affair a metaphor for Ireland?


3. Gina says that she was "properly in love" with Conor and that falling in love with him "was the right thing to do." Can you call what she had with Conor love? What does this say about love?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of W.W. Norton & Company. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.