ONE

It's impossible to know what you would do to escape a shitty marriage and give your daughters a fair shot at success. Would you pay money? Trade the comfort of house and home? Lie, cheat, or steal? I've asked myself these questions; I suppose many mothers do. One question I haven't asked, mostly because I don't like the answer. Not a bit. I have too strong a survival instinct. Always have.

Last night, I spoke to Malcolm again after the girls had gone to bed. I tried to put a light spin on things, to not turn him from phlegmatic to angry with my words.

"I've had enough of this, Malc," I said. "Freddie's had enough of it."

He looked up from his paperwork long enough to meet my eyes. "Had enough of what?"

"Of the numbers. Of the pressure. Of all of it."

"Noted," he said and buried himself again in pages of reports and memos. I think I heard a relieved sigh when I left to go to bed.

Things haven't been good here for a long time.

I almost can't remember how it felt before we all started ...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. The author discusses the use of numbers to judge ourselves and others. Can you think of any other numerical standards that we use today for evaluation? Do you think they are effective or do more harm?
2. The schools and buses are all labeled as colors. Why do you think the author chose to use colors? Do you think they symbolize anything or have any meaning?
3. Children in a household can grow up to be very different people, as evidenced by the household in Master Class. Yet the expression "blood is thicker than water" is prevalent and true in many cases. Did you feel that way when you read about each child in this household and how they evolved throughout the book?
4. There are obvious stereotypes in the book, from the geeks in school being ...