Reading guide for Housebreaking by Colleen Hubbard

Reading Guide Questions

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Think about Del's reaction to finding out the house she now owned was going to be torn down. Why do you think this was a tipping point for her in the novel?
2. Throughout the novel, Del thinks of her mother a lot. What do you think the deconstruction of the house represents in relation to her memory of her mother?
3. Del discusses why she stuck to tearing apart the house she inherited. Thinking about this, why do you believe she chose to keep the house in the first place?
4. With Del's memories of her parents, there seems to be a running theme of escape. Thinking about your answer to the last question, do you think that tearing the house apart offers an escape? For whom?
5. Jeanne's life is unraveling at the same time Del's house deconstruction is taking place. Why do you believe the author chose to have this happen? Do Jeanne and Del have any similarities?
6. Discuss Del's relationships within the novel. Do you think her views on family have changed by the novel's end?
7. Did the novel play out in a way you expected? What did you think was going to be the outcome of Del's housebreaking?
8. Could you relate to Del and her struggles with family? Why or why not?
9. Do you think how Del handled her problems was the best way? Would you have changed anything she did? Why or why not?
10. Discuss the ending of the novel. Do you think that Del found some new purpose after the story's events? What do you think that is?

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