Reading Guide Questions

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. On page 7, Samantha asks Nellie one of the defining questions of the novel: "Ever think he's too good to be true?" At what point did you start to think that Sam might be right, and Richard might actually be too good to be true?
   
2. What do you think is the significance of Vanessa's new job at an upscale clothing store? How might it affect her to still be in the upper class world she once occupied, but in a much different role? Compare and contrast her experience there to her previous job as a teacher.
   
3. Throughout the novel, Aunt Charlotte and Vanessa have an extremely close relationship, even when Vanessa struggles to be honest with her aunt. How do you see this relationship affecting the choices Vanessa makes? Is there someone in your family with whom you have a similar bond?
   
4. When did you realize who Vanessa, Nellie, and Emma actually are? How did this new understanding shape your experience of the rest of the story, and how do you think it will affect your experience if you reread the novel?
   
5. On page 162, Vanessa says, "I guess I thought marrying Richard would erase my concerns. But my old anxieties simply yielded to new ones." Do you think that that is a common misconception about entering into a marriage? If so, why do you think so many men and women believe this?
   
6. The Wife Between Us asks difficult questions about how much someone's past can explain or excuse their behavior. What's your opinion? Did getting to know more about Vanessa's or Richard's backstory help to explain or justify their choices at all?
   
7. The theme of sight – foresight, hindsight, and even real, physical eyesight – is wound throughout the entire novel. Maggie, the young sorority pledge, repeatedly says, "I hate it when I can't see." Do you think that anyone in this novel could (or should) have been able to see more clearly the consequences of their actions? Do you believe in the old saying, "Hindsight is 20/20?"
   
8. Did the end of the novel leave you questioning who was really calling the shots and who had a full picture of what was going on? Which character do you think was truly orchestrating the events that were set into action – or was there more than one person responsible? Why do you believe this?

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