Table for Two Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Olivia de Havilland and the Studio System and our BookBrowse Review of Table for Two.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. In most pieces in this collection, a pivotal moment occurs when two characters sit opposite each other at a table to confront a new reality in their lives. Can you pinpoint where this happens in these stories? What is it about this setup that you think lends itself to particularly meaningful conversations? Can you think of a time when your life changed significantly after a conversation at a table for two?
2. Most of these stories take place in New York at the turn of the millennium—a period just before the internet transformed how we connect with one another. How do the means of communication and their limitations at the time impact how the characters respond to their dilemmas? How does the backdrop of New York City play its own role in tying together the characters and their stories?
3. Consider each of the six short stories as a companion to another: "The Line" and "The Ballad of Timothy Touchett"; "Hasta Luego" and "I Will Survive"; and "The Bootlegger" and "The DiDomenico Fragment." Did you notice any thematic parallels within these pairs? What traits do the protagonists share, and how do their outcomes mirror each other? How do they diverge?

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