The House of Memories (37 page)

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.
The House of Memories
is a novel about an extended family and their journey through grief. Does this necessarily make it a bleak story?

2. There are moments in the novel when we feel deep sympathy toward Ella, but are there also times when it’s not so easy to understand her actions?

3. Is Ella’s decision to distance herself from the rest of her family justified, do you think?

4. Lucas and his wonderful house are described in colorful detail. Discuss the importance of the setting for the novel.

5. Why do you think the author changes to first-person narration for Ella’s chapters? Did you find this an effective device?

6. The complexity of blended-family life is acutely examined here. Why is it that Ella can have such a wonderful relationship with Charlie and such a vexed one with Jessica?

7. Did you love Jess or hate her?

8. There are many different parenting roles portrayed in the book. For example, Meredith, Charlie, Ella, Aidan. Does anyone strike you as being a “better” parent than another?

9. Discuss the theme of communication throughout the novel. In what major and minor ways does it play out in the story?

10. The Fox family is fabulously unique. Why, then, does this story resonate so profoundly with people whose families are nothing like theirs?

International bestselling writer
Monica McInerney
is the award-winning author of nine previous novels, one short-story collection, and numerous stories and articles. She grew up in Australia, one of seven children, and has split her time between Australia and Ireland for twenty years. Monica and her Irish husband currently live in Dublin, Ireland.