The You I Never Knew (42 page)

1. The novel begins with a quote by Mignon McLaughlin that reads: “Most of us become parents long before we have stopped being children.” What do you think this means? And why do you think the author has chosen this quote to begin her novel?
   
2. Cody is clearly going through a rebellious phase—Sam describes him as being “mad at the world” after only spending a few hours with him. Why has Cody suddenly become hostile and sullen at age sixteen? Is his attitude due to adolescence or is something else going on?
   
3. Why do you think Michelle never told Cody who his father was? Should she have worked harder to find Sam for Cody’s sake or do you understand why she made the decisions she did? Similarly, was it wrong of Michelle not to tell Sam that she was pregnant with his son, even though she believed he had left her?
   
4. Was Sam was wrong to leave town the way he did in 1983? Should he have been in touch with Michelle despite his circumstances?
   
5. Sam and Michelle had a passionate love affair when they were teenagers, but then fell out of touch for sixteen years. Yet when they reunite their attraction is as strong as ever. Do you believe that love can sustain itself even after a relationship dissolves? Do you think it’s possible to ever forget your first love?
   
6. What do you think of Michelle’s decision to come back to Montana in order to help her father? Not only does her decision have emotional consequences, but it also has physical ones. If you were in her position, would you have done the same thing?
   
7. Michelle and Brad have been together for three years, but they aren’t married. Why is Michelle with Brad? How is he different from Sam? Have you ever stayed in a relationship that didn’t make you entirely happy or that lacked a certain degree of passion?
   
8. This novel is in large part about parenting and the complicated and imperfect relationships between parents and children. Discuss the different parental relationships in this novel. How are the various parental figures (Michelle, Sam, Gavin, Tammi Lee) alike? How are they different?
   
9. Michelle is a painter, but she hasn’t painted in years until she returns to Crystal City. Why is painting so important to Michelle and why hasn’t she been able to paint since leaving Montana sixteen years ago? What role does “creation” play in this novel?
   
10. What role does class play in this novel? How do class differences, real or perceived, affect the actions of Sam, Michelle, Gavin, and Tammi Lee?
    
11. When Gavin admits the truth of his actions to Michelle at the end of the book, he says, “Sometimes a parent does the wrong thing for the right reasons.” What does he mean by this? Why is Michelle able to forgive him so easily?
    
12. How do you interpret the book’s title? Who is the “you” the title refers to?
    

Passing Through Paradise

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2001 by Susan Wiggs

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Second eBook Edition: March 2011

ISBN: 978-0-759-52202-2