The Never Never Sisters (32 page)

1. Before Paige sees Sloane, she thinks of her as “apart,” not a member of her family.
By the end of the book, how do you think Paige would redefine her family unit?

2. How are Paige and Sloane similar and/or different? Whom did you relate to more
at the beginning of the book? At the end?

3. At what point do you think Paige starts to trust Sloane? What are some of Paige’s
obstacles to forgiving her sister for the long absence, and ultimately how does she
get over them?

4. At what point did your opinion of Dave change (if it did at all)? Was it because
of something he did or Paige’s growing awareness?

5. How do you think the dynamics of Paige and Vanessa’s relationship affected Paige
in the years before the month during which the book takes place?

6. What do you think of Vanessa’s strengths and weaknesses as a parent? How much do
you think her parenting style affected her daughters’ personalities?

7. At the end of the book, what, if anything, did you think was left unsaid between
any of the characters? What do you like to think will happen to each of them in the
years ahead? Do you think the Reinhardt family is stronger as a whole at the book’s
end?

8. In several different instances throughout the book, the way two characters relate
to each other is tied into the actions of a third character. What are some examples
of this?

9. Of all the characters in the book, whom do you relate to the most and why?

10. In your opinion, who is the most honest character in the book? The least honest?
Why?

11. Did you agree with Paige’s conflicting feelings about Dave’s betrayals (real and
perceived) as she was experiencing them? What about Paige’s betrayals of Dave?

12. Did you consider Paige’s flirting with Percy harmless or meaningful? Did your
feelings about it change at the end of the book?

13. Did you feel that Paige’s professional training helped or hindered her ability
to express her own emotions? Can you name examples of moments when her desire to understand
other people gets in the way of self-comprehension?

14. Percy and Paige discuss the difference between facts and perception. What are
some other moments in the book where the same facts mean different things to different
people? What are the effects?

15. What is the role of “silence” in the book? Were there situations in which shared
knowledge might have altered how things unfolded in the story? If you were Vanessa
or Paige, what might you have done differently?

16. In your life, have you ever been in a situation where you’ve learned something
surprising about someone close to you? What have you relied on in figuring out your
next steps?

17. At one point, Paige notes that Dave’s greatest strength (ambition) is also his
greatest weakness. Are there examples of other instances in the book where a character’s
strength is also—in extremis—his or her greatest weakness? Have you seen any examples
of this in your own life?