1. In the opening chapter of the novel, Lucy describes feeling a
"little niggle" in the pit of her stomach when the police showed up—a
warning of oncoming danger. Are you familiar with the feeling she’s
describing? When have you felt it? How do you think this ominous tone
serves to set up the rest of the book?
2. The Mother-in-Law is told in dual timelines and dual
narratives—Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diana. How does this structure
affect your reading experience? Did you feel more sympathetic towards
one narrator or the other?
3. What was your initial impression of Diana, both through the lens of
Lucy and through hearing Diana’s own voice? How did your understanding
of her and her motivations evolve throughout the book?
4. Diana and Lucy have very different definitions of what makes a "good"
mother-in-law. What you you think makes for a good mother-in-law? How
universal do you think your opinion is, or how personal? How do you
think you would react in Lucy’s position?
5. What did you think when you first learned about Diana’s Orchard House
past? Did it make sense to you, or come totally out of the blue? How do
you think it fits into Diana’s character and explains why she acts the
way she does in the present timeline?
6. Before you learned about what happened on Thanksgiving,what did you
think the "incident" was? What were the clues throughout the frst half
of the novel that make you think that way?
7. On page 133, Diana thinks, "When left to their own devices, bitter
people can do bad things." Do you think she’s right to asses Hakem this
way? Where are the other place in the narrative where you think that
this same quote applies?
8. Tom and Diana have very different philosophies about giving their
children money. Is either of them correct? Or is there more of a middle
ground that neither of them have considered? Do you think it’s cruel for
them to let Nettie suffer when they could help pay for her treatments?
9. On page 219, Ghezala says to Lucy, "Maybe [Diana] was so busy looking
at the problems in the world, she forgot to give chances to those right
under her nose." What do you think about that statement? Do you think
she’s correct, or is there something more at play?
10. Before you learned the truth of Diana’s death, did you have a
suspect in mind? Who and why?