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In the summer of 1979, just when Yvette Santerre thought her children were all safely launched and out of the house, her granddaughter came to stay in Hermosa Beach and came down with a fever, and then a rash. Yvette thought it might be stress: Abby was seven, and her parents were considering divorce, and she must have sensed trouble. At bedtime she cried from homesickness, and Yvette asked if she wanted to go home. Abby said, "I want to go home, and I want to stay here."

The rash got worse, and Yvette's husband said they should tell Clarissa her daughter was sick. But Clarissa had gone back to Hawaii, where she had lived in Navy housing before Abby was born. She said it was the last place she had been happy, and she was staying somewhere without a telephone. So Yvette called Abby's father, up in Northern California.

"Oh...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. A Family Daughter is the story of four generations of Santerres. Discuss the evolving parent-child relationships within each generation.
2. Discuss the themes of resurrection and resilience in the novel. Consider incidents such as Abby and Jamie's relationship, Saffron's baby, Margot's affair, and the family reunion at the end of the novel. What drives each character to overcome tragedy and adversity?
3. Why do you think the focus of the book, with the exception of Jamie, is on the women of the Santerre family? What is Yvette's role as family matriarch?
4. When thinking of the photographer, Yvette realizes ...