Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood

1. Which one of the siblings would you consider yourself most like? Most unlike?
2. The (often deleterious) effect of social media is a major theme of the novel. How does it affect the different characters? How do the effects vary from generation to generation?
3. The three Fisher girls are first introduced as types: sporty and assertive Eva, Nancy, "the troubled middle one," and Alex, "the kind of woman who color-coordinates her wardrobe, who has been color-coordinating her wardrobe since the age of eleven." How does the novel complicate these initial judgements? How does it reinforce them?
4. How did your impression of each sister change throughout the novel? Did you find that your favorite, or the one you related to most, changed?
5. The sisters frequently define themselves against each other and sort themselves into roles. If you have siblings, do you do the same? Do you think of yourself as having particular traits compared to your siblings, or to other members of your family?
6. The rotating narration ensures that we get very different perspectives on the same events (as exemplified by their differing recollections of Christmas Eve in 1982). Who do you consider to be the most trustworthy narrator? Why? Do your memories of certain events differ drastically from those of others who were there?
7. As depicted in the novel, family gatherings are frequently sources of both joy and tension. Have you ever experienced a family get together like the one in the novel?
8. At different points Alex, Vivian, and Eva all question whether or not they should stay with their respective husbands. Do you think each makes the right choice? Why or why not?
9. We see the sisters interact with both their parents and their children. Do you think their different experiences growing up with Vivian and Patrick determines how they treat their own kids? How?
10. Both Alex and Nancy experience similar feelings and fantasies about a man other than the one they married. This situation works out well for Nancy, but not for Alex. Why do you think that is? What differences in their situations might explain it?

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.