Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Family by Naomi Krupitsky

1. Sofia and Antonia's friendship began because of a unique circumstance they were born into, but it undergoes a transformation as they grow into adults. Were there aspects of Sofia and Antonia's friendship that reminded you of your own with a friend? If so, what were they, and why?
2. Antonia's? How do you think those characteristics led Sofia and Antonia to live their particular lives?
3. Considering the characteristics you named in response to the previous question, do you feel you are more like Sofia or Antonia? How do you think these traits have led you to where you are today?
4. Compare and contrast a popular Mafia story, such as The Godfather, with The Family. How do you feel the Mafia is depicted in each? In what ways does The Family subvert popular fiction about the Mafia, if at all?
5. Discuss how World War II and the aftermath of this event affected both Sofia's and Antonia's lives. If this catastrophic war hadn't happened, how do you think their lives would have been the same or different throughout the novel?
6. What was your favorite scene in the novel, and why?
7. Sunday dinners were a way of bringing the Family together both for business and pleasure. Does your family connect over a shared ritual or activity, and if so, what is it?
8. Family means everything to the Colicchios and the Russos. What unspoken rules guide your own communities?
9. What did you think about Saul's decisions toward the end of the novel regarding his family and the Mafia? Do you think he should have handled things differently?
10. Although they didn't set out to do so, Antonia and Sofia have their own feminist moments in a time when that wasn't a well-defined movement. What do you think each woman's defining moment was in The Family?
11. Were you surprised by the ending?

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.