Book Clubs

A FOREWORD Indies gold medalist and Pencraft Award winner. A darkly comic thriller that subverts genre conventions with psychological depth and sardonic wit — rich territory for discussion.

1. 1.Why do you think Ophelia behaves the way she does? What is her principal motivation?
2. 2.Who is the most sympathetic in this love triangle? Why or why not?
3. 3.Do you have a favorite secondary character (e.g., Madge, Mallory)? Why?
4. 4.Can you relate to Ophelia's predicament? Is it a universal predicament in some sense?
5. 5.What does the author accomplish by telling the story as a jailhouse confessional, a decade after the events in question?

A finalist for the Nilsen Prize for a First Novel and an American Fiction Award. Carol's debut announces a bold literary voice — ideal for groups who enjoy formally inventive, emotionally resonant fiction.

1. 1.Is this based on a true story?
2. 2.Are you a lawyer?
3. 3.How did you get the idea to write about choking/death/grief in such a humorous yet touching way?
4. 4.Is Tudor City a real neighborhood?
5. 5.Does this restaurant exist?
6. 6.This book has so much humor in a subtle way, even regarding grief and how it takes its own sweet time — were you aware of the humor as you were writing?
7. 7.The musical references are so specific, so entwined with the plot and voice — are you a musician?
8. 8.Regarding the debates surrounding tonality and musical temperament — did this synergism happen naturally, or did you weave it into your plot consciously?
9. 9.Do you find humor in your other work?
10. 10.Luther is relatable, sweet, but he just can't move on — how did you get the idea for him?

Discussion questions for Carol LaHines's novel Miracle Grow of the Mind.

1. 1.How do Michael and Amy's approaches to parenting differ? Which parent is more invested in Griffin's outcome? Who do you think is the more sympathetic character? Why? How do their roles vis-à-vis one another and Griffin change over the course of the book?
2. 2.Compare and contrast the respective approaches of the Bureau of Preschool Education, Mel Finkelstein's Sensory Re-Integration, Barbara Schwartzmann, Estella's lover Josef, Griffin's sister Emma, and Amy and Michael themselves to the question of developmental disability.
3. 3.What does Amy and Michael's experience say about the healthcare system and the educational and medical bureaucracies?
4. 4.Which scenes best demonstrate the parents' deep love for Griffin?
5. 5.How does the babysitter Estella act as a catalyst in the narrative? How does her own backstory figure into her own motivations for helping Griffin? How does she help Michael and Amy accept Griffin as he is?
6. 6.What of the theme of the 'real boy'—Michael serving as the stand-in for his brother; the toy Pinocchio echoing those words; Michael and Amy finally seeing and accepting Griffin?
7. 7.How does Michael's own story—his mother having figuratively erased him—parallel Griffin's?
8. 8.How does Estella's arc—from seeing Josef through rose-colored glasses to seeing him more clearly—parallel that of Griffin's parents?
9. 9.How do Michael's legal crusades as a personal injury attorney underscore the absurdities of the healthcare and legal systems?
10. 10.What do Michael and Amy's struggles show about society's acceptance (or lack thereof) of individuals with disabilities?