Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Most Anticipated Books of 2025!

Book Club Discussion Questions for The Most by Jessica Anthony

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

The Most by Jessica Anthony

The Most

by Jessica Anthony
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (7):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • Paperback:
  • Jul 2024, 144 pages
  • Rate this book

About this Book

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

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

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

  1. What is "The Most"? As a strategy, what does it teach Kathleen about how to navigate situations?
  2. In what way is Kathleen, a white American housewife in the 1950s, a woman of her time?
  3. How does the launch of Sputnik 2, and the dog Laika's role in the mission, reflect on the trajectory of Kathleen and Virgil's marriage?
  4. What does it mean that so much emphasis is placed on Kathleen's body, both when she was younger as a tennis player and now, as a pregnant mother of two?
  5. What is the significance of Kathleen constantly referring to Virgil as a "faker"?
  6. Are Virgil and Kathleen a good match for each other? What do they remember differently about their past together?
  7. What is the significance of bridges in the novel?
  8. Why didn't Virgil tell anyone that he found Mr. Frazier?
  9. How would Kathleen's life be different if she hadn't married Virgil? How would his be different?
  10. How did Virgil and Kathleen's childhoods, and their parents, lead them into this marriage?
  11. Is the marriage over?
For the full book club kit please refer to the publisher's page.

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Little Brown & Company. 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 $50 for 12 months or $18 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Beyond the Book:
  The Launch of Sputnik 2

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The Wager
    by David Grann
    From the bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a gripping story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth.
  • Book Jacket
    Let's Call Her Barbie
    by Renée Rosen
    She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world. Barbie is born in this bold new novel by USA Today bestselling author Renée Rosen.
Book Club Giveaway!
Win Help Wanted

Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman

From the best-selling author of The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. comes a funny, eye-opening tale of work in contemporary America.

Enter

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Harlem Rhapsody
    by Victoria Christopher Murray

    The extraordinary story of the woman who ignited the Harlem Renaissance.

  • Book Jacket

    Beast of the North Woods
    by Annelise Ryan

    When a local fisherman is mauled to death, it seems like the only possible cause is a mythical creature.

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

T the L

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.