Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Once and Future Me by Melissa Pace

1. The novel intentionally keeps us off balance regarding Bix/Dorothy's sanity. Did you think she was sane from the beginning? Why or why not?
2. Compare the role of women in the past to the role of women in the future. What similarities and differences do you notice?
3. Many of the patients at Hanover are women whose behavior has been pathologized simply because it does not conform to the sexist standards of the time. Do you think this practice continues today? What are some examples of it?
4. Have you ever been in a situation similar to that of Bix/Dorothy in which you were lied to and gaslit? How did you react?
5. What role does "the voice" play in the novel? How does the author use it to communicate information to the reader?
6. Time travel is a popular device across many novels dating back to the 19th century. How does its use in The Once and Future Me recall and differ from its use in other books?
7. Characters in both of the novel's time periods debate whether they should maintain the status quo or fight for change. Have you ever experienced a similar debate, either internally or with others? How was it resolved?
8. Many of the aspects of the future described in The Once and Future Me can be understood as more extreme versions of phenomena already present today. Which aspects of the book's world have their roots in the present?
9. Bix/Dorothy must constantly assess others' (often conflicting) conceptions of her. Have you ever been surprised by how someone else thought of you? How did you react?
10. The Once and Future Me ends with Bix/Dorothy making a momentous and surprising choice. What did you think of her decision? Did you anticipate this ending, or did it take you by surprise?

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.