READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. This story is told from the perspective of four main characters. Which did you like the most and why?

2. The main characters in How to Age Disgracefully are a teenaged single father, a menopausal empty-nester, and two septuagenarians. Which of these stages of life do you think is the hardest to navigate?

3. When age makes you invisible, secrets are easier to hide. Is this true? Can you think of any examples?

4. Which of the characters in the novel do you think changes the most during the course of the story?

5. Art and Daphne are both criminals. Are there mitigating circumstances? Can you forgive them?

6. Ziggy also breaks the law—getting caught up in drug dealing. Why does he do this? Does he have any other choice?

7. We never meet Ziggy’s mum. What are your impressions of her and her parenting?

8. Is Lydia’s revenge on Jeremy justified and proportionate? Should she take him back?

9. In Clare Pooley’s author’s note she says that older characters in novels are often stereotyped. Is this true? If so, what are the stereotypes you’ve noticed?

10. If you had to choose a permanent carer for Maggie Thatcher, who would it be and why?