Book Summary and Reviews of Mutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith

Book Summary

A classic in the making: a mesmerizing novel about marriage and ambition, sexuality and secrecy, and the true costs of building an empire.

At the turn of the 20th century, Vivian Lesperance is determined to flee her origins in Utica, New York, and avoid repeating her parents' dull, limited life. When she meets Oscar Schmidt, a middle manager at a soap company, Vivian finds a partner she can guide to build the life she wants-not least because, more interested in men himself, Oscar will leave Vivian to tend to her own romances with women.

But Vivian's plans require capital, so the two pair up with Squire Clancey, scion of an old American fortune. Together they found Clancey & Schmidt, a preeminent manufacturer of soap, perfume, and candles. When Oscar and Squire fall in love, the trio form a new kind of partnership.

Vivian reaches the pinnacle of her power building Clancey & Schmidt into an empire of personal care products while operating behind the image of both men. But exposure threatens, and all three partners are made aware of how much they have to lose.

For readers of Hernan Diaz's Trust and Colm Tóibín's The Magician, with echoes of Gustave Flaubert and E.M. Forster, Mutual Interest is a beguiling story of queer romance, empire, and power.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Discuss the novel's three epigraphs with your book club. How do you think each applies to the story within? How do they frame your expectations?
2. The novel begins with a description of 1816 as "The Year Without a Summer," and Mount Tambora's eruption. These references also appear throughout the novel. Why do you think the author chose to preface the novel this way? In what ways does "The Year Without a Summer" relate to the themes of the novel? How does Mount Tambora's eruption serve as a metaphor for its events?
3. "He had too much money to continue living the life he knew, but not enough—or not the right kind—to dissolve into the upper echelon of society" (30). Discuss how class is portrayed in the novel. What ...