Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Unbecoming of Margaret Wolf by Isa Arsén

1. The title The Unbecoming of Margaret Wolf offers a bold entry point into the story. How did the title influence your take on Margaret throughout the read?
2. Author Isa Arsén was inspired by Shakespeare's Macbeth. To what extent did this piece of the story allow you to foreshadow what was to come?
3. Margaret's marriage to Wesley protects him from the eyes of the House Un-American Activities Committee. In what ways might McCarthyism have persisted in American attitudes toward underrepresented communities?
4. Felix Haas changes vastly as the story develops. Which of his key characteristics, if any, allowed you predict this evolution? Discuss.
5. Margaret makes a few very questionable decisions. Do you think her story would have played out similarly if set in a different time period?
6. The Unbecoming of Margaret Wolf features a cast of complicated characters. Discuss whether each character plays by the rules of their archetype. Other than Margaret or Wesley, who would you deem the most important character?
7. Wesley tells Margaret at the beginning of their marriage that the Greeks had six words for love. These are agápe (love of humanity as God), éros (erotic love), philia (love between equals), philautia (love of the self), storge (love of the family), and xenia (love of the neighbor). What are other kinds of love you would name, and what would you call them?
8. Dr. French gives Margaret a mantra as part of their therapeutic practice: "Every day of mine is a gift." What is something you would like to hear more often, from others or yourself?
9. As with Macbeth, The Unbecoming of Margaret Wolf unravels toward tragedy. Discuss whether you would commit a crime if the odds were high that you'd get away with it.
10. The Unbecoming of Margaret Wolf is a midcentury drama. In what ways does it both align with and defy your expectations of the historical fiction genre?
11. Pick the moment in the text you found to be most shocking or the biggest turning point; whose fault is it?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of G.P. Putnam's Sons. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.