READERS GUIDE
Questions and Topics for Discussion
1. Charlotte says: “Being a mother is frightening. . . . Every mother goes a little bit crazy in her own particular way.” Why do you think Charlotte says this and do you agree?
2. In the opening scene, Charlotte wonders whether mothers should aspire to be “empty vessels.” But when you become a parent, you’re not an “empty vessel”—you bring all your issues with you. How does Charlotte’s childhood shape what kind of mother she is?
3. Charlotte says of Stella: “She didn’t need professional help. She needed two parents who would let her be her weird unique self and try their best to understand her.” What do you think?
4. Charlotte and Irina are very different. What do you think they each get out of their relationship?
5. When Blanka was a child, Irina punished her by drawing a cross on the wall and telling Blanka to hold her nose to it until Irina told her she could stop. Is this a good way to discipline a child? What do you make of Irina’s parenting style?
6. There is a privilege gap between Charlotte and Blanka, as is often the case between mothers and the women they pay to take care of their children. Charlotte doesn’t know the extent of that gap while Blanka is alive, because questions about the past make Blanka “uncomfortable.” Is Charlotte right to remain in ignorance? How much is a mother obligated to get to know her babysitter?
7. As Stella changes, other people say she’s doing great, but Charlotte says: “I know that something is wrong. It’s like when Stella has a fever. I don’t need a thermometer—I just use my hand. I know if she’s sick. A mother’s hand knows.” Can a mother always trust her deepest instincts?
8. Why do you think Charlotte fell in love with Pete and should she have known better?
9. Cherie wonders if Charlotte is on the autism spectrum, and pushes her to get assessed. Do you think Charlotte would benefit from such an assessment?
10. Did the ending of the book surprise you? Do you have a theory about what caused Stella’s behavior? And if you were Charlotte, would you be able to leave this mystery unresolved?
