Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for We Pretty Pieces of Flesh by Colwill Brown

1. At its core, We Pretty Pieces of Flesh is a story of girlhood and friendship. What moments throughout their lives influenced Rach's, Shaz's, and Kel's perception of what it means to be a girl? In what ways do you think their experience of girlhood was shaped by their friendship with one another?
2. What role do boys and men play in the story? How do their interactions with boys and men shape the girls' understanding of who they are and their place in the world? As the girls grow up, in what ways do their interactions with the boys and men around them change? In what ways do they stay the same?
3. As the girls grow up, they think increasingly about sex and sexual desire. How do their ideas about sex and sexuality shape themselves and their friendship? How about their ideas of beauty and desirability?
4. "I didn't wanna lie to Kel and Shaz. But having more than them made me feel guilty, or ashamed, or left out, or summat." What do comments such as these suggest about the class dynamics between the girls? In what ways do Rach, Shaz, and Kel's class backgrounds inform their friendship? Are these dynamics minimized or exacerbated as the girls grow older?
5. Upon first meeting Shaz, Rach is tentative to let her into her and Kel's friendshi —"'We're not being mates wi that Shaz,' said Rach." As the girls get to know each other, how is Rach's initial trepidation incorporated into the dynamic of their friend group? Can you name any pivotal moments in which Rach's opinion of Shaz changes?
6. Rach, Shaz, and Kel meet each other in Doncaster, and this is the setting for much of their early friendship. Do you think they all feel equally at home in Doncaster? As they grow up, how do their senses of home shift and expand?
7. As the years go on, the number of secrets between Rach, Shaz, and Kel grows. Which of these secrets do you think holds the most weight? Why do you think the girls continue holding secrets from one another as they grow older?
8. At home, the girls have different family structures. In what ways do you think the girls' different family dynamics play into their friendship dynamics?
9. We Pretty Pieces of Flesh is written in a Yorkshire dialect. What did the dialect contribute to your reading experience? Small differentiations in dialect mark Rach's narration from Shaz's narration from Kel's narration. Did any of these differences stand out to you while reading? What do you think they are meant to signify?
10. At the end of the novel, the girls have reunited after spending much of their adult lives apart. In what ways do their adult interactions mirror their childhood ones? In what ways do they diverge? Do you think the women are capable of once again achieving the closeness of their past?

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