The Best of Us (38 page)

Tonight she’d tell Dwight more about Therese. She’d bring him a glass of scotch, and ask him to sit with her on the couch.
She’d tell him everything. About rushing to the hospital. About holding Therese’s soft hand as she died. She’d lay bare every single secret she’d ever kept from him.

“I love you,” she whispered, so quietly she wasn’t sure if he could hear her.

She waited, tears brimming behind her closed eyelids, until she heard her husband repeat the words in answer.

Those three small words could contain so many different meanings—an apology, an implicit promise, an answer to an unspoken question, a good-bye . . .

But as she felt his arm reach around her shoulders and pull her close, she knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that they also held the strength to carry her and Dwight through, into a new future.

I’m beyond lucky to get to work with Victoria Sanders and Greer Hendricks, the agent and editor of my dreams. This book is dedicated to them for their invaluable guidance and constant support. I cherish our friendship and look forward to many more books together.

Atria Books is a wonderful home for authors, a nurturing publishing house that’s committed to building the careers of writers. In the publishing world, it’s a rare and special place indeed. I’m so grateful to be a part of the Atria family. Publisher Judith Curr is a class act as well as a visionary, and the rest of her team—Paul Olsewski, Chris Lloreda, Lisa Sciambra, Lisa Keim, Carole Schwindeller, Hillary Tisman, Anne Spieth, and Yona Deshommes—are a pleasure to collaborate with. I remain ever grateful to the amazing Sarah Cantin for her constant help and kindness, and I’m thrilled to be working with the dynamo publicist Cristina Suarez.

Superpublicists Marcy Engelman and Emily Gambir have worked magic on my novels—I’m proud to be your client, and in awe of what you’ve done! Thank you, thank you.

At Victoria Sanders & Associates, Bernadette Baker-Baughman and Chris Kepner are on top of every last detail, always with patience and good humor. And my foreign rights agent, Chandler Crawford, continues to bring my novels to new countries, which is always a thrill. My thanks to Chandler and to my publishers
overseas, especially Simon & Schuster Australia for all their support.

Anna Dorfman creates gorgeous, distinctive covers for my books, and the sharp-eyed copy editor Susan M. S. Brown continues to catch my errors and save me from embarrassment (her best catch on this book—I had a character covering her hand with her mouth. Whoops.).

Helping me get some critical hurricane-related details right were Dr. Will Drennan of the University of Miami. And Lisa Kinsley, certified genetic counselor, also generously gave of her time and expertise. Any errors, however, are mine alone.

Rachel Baker and Michelle Subaran helped me recall the beauty and power of Jamaica (it has been a while since I’ve visited!), and I’m so grateful for their expertise and their patient answers to all my questions. Thank you, wonderful friends!

And to all the amazing book bloggers who have taken the time to read and review my novels, and to the booksellers and librarians who have recommended them—your support means everything. A special shout-out to Kathy Roberts and Jen Karsbaek for doing an early read of
The Best of Us.

I’m so happy that readers have taken the time to find me on Facebook and Twitter. I love hearing from you and sharing the publication process with you! You’ve helped me name characters, come up with titles, and inspired me on days when the words refused to show up on the page. Thank you doesn’t begin to cover it. For any readers who would like to connect on social media, please come find me—I’m waiting for you!

My parents, John and Lynn Pekkanen, and our “Alvie”—Olivia Cortez—help keep my kids happy when I’m on deadline and help keep me sane (at least somewhat). My love to you all.

And to Glenn and our boys, Jack, Will, and Dylan. The only thing better than writing books is getting to have you as my family.

The Best of Us

S
ARAH
P
EKKANEN

A Readers Club Guide

1. Which of the women in
The Best of Us
did you most identify with, and why?

2. Discuss the four marriages that are depicted in
The Best of Us.
What kinds of adjectives would you use to describe each of them? Do any of your past or current relationships have similarities to one or more of these marriages? Which marriage seems the strongest and the most appealing to you?

3. What do you think each woman learns from her time in Jamaica? How does the trip change each of them?

4. At several points in the novel, Gio makes jabs at Dwight and the way that his financial success is on display during the vacation. Allie suggests that Gio’s ability to provide for his family might be a sensitive point for him, saying,
“Everyone has different emotional triggers, and even if they don’t make sense to the rest of us, it’s important to respect them”
. What is this moment in the novel saying about both Allie and Gio? And do you agree with Allie’s assessment?

5. Savannah has many, many witty lines over the course of the novel. Did you have a favorite? She also doesn’t hesitate to say exactly what she is thinking, which contrasts with the personalities of “peacemakers” like Allie. Which woman are you more like, and has there ever been a time when you’ve slipped into the other’s role?

6. As Allie faces the possibility of a fatal illness, she begins to second-guess many aspects of her life, including her relationship with Ryan. She wonders:
“Had she been mistaking her husband’s passivity for agreeableness all these years?”
. How did you interpret Ryan’s easygoing
nature? What do you think this quote is saying about the behavior patterns that couples fall into over time?

7. Tina is devastated when she realizes she forgot to call her kids on the first night they all arrive in Jamaica—and then wonders why Gio hadn’t remembered, either. How are their parenting styles shown to differ throughout the novel? How do you think one’s role as a parent affects one’s role in a marriage?

8. There are many characters in
The Best of Us
who look for forgiveness at some point during the narrative. What do you think the novel is saying about the role of second chances in marriages and close friendships? Should they be freely given? And can romantic or platonic love ever truly be unconditional?

9. Which aspect of the trip to Jamaica sounded the most appealing to you? However, as relaxing as a vacation can be,
The Best of Us
illustrates that it can also be an occasion for stress. Did this resonate with you? Why do you think this happens?

10. Since Savannah, Allie, and Tina were all close friends in college, Pauline is less comfortable with them, and sometimes appears to be standoffish. Did your opinion of Pauline change over the course of the novel?

11. After learning that Dwight has cheated on her, Pauline thinks,
“He violated my trust, but what I did was even worse. I never truly trusted him in the first place”
. Do you agree with this?

12. 
“Didn’t all marriages carry thousands of hurts? Didn’t husbands and wives injure each other all the time, leaving wounds both big and small, with snapped words or forgotten anniversaries or emotional buttons deliberately pushed? But thousands of kindnesses existed in marriages, too. The important thing was that the kindnesses triumphed over the hurts”
. Do you agree with this assessment of marriage?
If you had to pick one mantra or saying that defined a successful romantic relationship to you, what would it be?

1. Savannah makes a playlist of songs from their college years to bring along on the trip to Jamaica. If you were to make a playlist of the hits from your college years, what would be on it? Share your compilation with the group.

2. If you haven’t already, read Sarah Pekkanen’s
Skipping a Beat
as a group. Compare and contrast the portrayal of marriage in each book.

3. In many ways, the trip to Jamaica that Pauline and Dwight plan for their friends sounds like a dream vacation. What does your dream vacation look like? Where would you travel to, and what kinds of activities would you ideally do there? Would you want to travel with family or friends—or even go by yourself? Share your imaginings with the group.

PHOTO CREDIT: HILARY SCHWAB

SARAH PEKKANEN
is the internationally bestselling author of
The Opposite of Me, Skipping a Beat
, and
These Girls
. Her work has been published in
People, The Washington Post
, and
USA Today
, among other publications. She lives with her family in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

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COVER DESIGN BY ANNA DORFMAN

COVER PHOTOGRAPHS © PLUSH STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES (POOL/DECK/TREES);