Get our Best Book Club Books of 2025 eBook!

Book Club Discussion Questions for Schroder by Amity Gaige

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

Schroder by Amity Gaige

Schroder

by Amity Gaige
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Readers' Rating (2):
  • First Published:
  • Feb 5, 2013, 288 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Oct 2013, 288 pages
  • Rate this book

About this Book

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

In a book club? Subscribe to our Book Club Newsletter!



For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Real Schroder: Clark Rockefeller and our BookBrowse Review of Schroder.


Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

  1. Have you ever told a lie that grew beyond your control? What did you decide to do when the lie became more than you could handle?

  2. Schroder is written as a confessional letter from Eric to his wife, Laura. Have you ever written a confession? About what and to whom?

  3. In the novel, Eric tells his first lie when he is five years old. Do you remember your first lie or a time when you witnessed a young child lie? Why do you think you—or the child you witnessed—told this lie?

  4. If you could change something about your family history, what would it be?

  5. Which famous family might you pretend to be part of? Why?

  6. Eric and Laura's marriage began with a lie about Eric's identity. How much of ourselves do we keep from our loved ones? Can omissions ultimately doom a relationship? Or is there room for secrets between spouses and in families?

  7. Meadow is often the only voice of reason in the novel. What about a child's mind allows Meadow to trust her father, but to be honest with him at the same time?

  8. Were you ever worried for Meadow's safety? If not, why not?

  9. How does Eric's immigrant status shape the way he sees the world—and the specific parts of his world, such as Laura, Meadow, and Albany?

  10. Do you think Eric is mentally ill or just a confused man who doesn't want to lose his daughter? How far would you go to hold on to someone you love?

  11. Can someone who has made mistakes or done bad things in one part of their life still be a good parent?

  12. Are you able to forgive the flaws in your own parents? Do you think Meadow will be able to?


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

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The Lilac People
    by Milo Todd
    For fans of All the Light We Cannot See, a poignant tale of a trans man’s survival in Nazi Germany and postwar Berlin.
  • Book Jacket
    Daughters of Shandong
    by Eve J. Chung
    Based on the author’s family story, comes an extraordinary novel about a mother and her daughters’ escape from Taiwan.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Awake in the Floating City
    by Susanna Kwan

    A debut novel about an artist and a 130-year-old woman bound by love and memory in a future, flooded San Francisco.

  • Book Jacket

    Ginseng Roots
    by Craig Thompson

    A new graphic memoir from the author of Blankets and Habibi about class, childhood labor, and Wisconsin’s ginseng industry.

  • Book Jacket

    Serial Killer Games
    by Kate Posey

    A morbidly funny and emotionally resonant novel about the ways life—and love—can sneak up on us (no matter how much pepper spray we carry).

  • Book Jacket

    The Original Daughter
    by Jemimah Wei

    A dazzling debut by Jemimah Wei about ambition, sisterhood, and family bonds in turn-of-the-millennium Singapore.

Who Said...

Being slightly paranoid is like being slightly pregnant – it tends to get worse.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

B W M in H M

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.