Blue Sisters

How do the personalities of the Blue sisters reflect or subvert expectations associated with their birth order? How do their relative ages impact their dynamics?

Early in the novel, Avery agrees to begin trying to conceive a child with Chiti, even though she secretly feels ambivalent. What does her ambivalence reveal about societal attitudes around womanhood and motherhood? What does Avery hope that motherhood will offer her, and what models does she look to in considering what motherhood might look like for her? How might her ambivalence be connected to her role as a substitute mother to her younger sisters?

Each of the Blue sisters possesses a notable gift or talent: Avery excels academically and professionally, Bonnie is an elite boxer, and Lucky is extremely beautiful and charismatic. Does their exceptional success make it easier or more difficult for them to lead happy lives? Why is it significant that Nicky considered herself to have an ordinary life?

The father of the Blue sisters never appears directly in the plot, only in memories of past events. He dies before the end of the plot. To what extent is he significant? Why is he depicted as an “absent presence”? Is the Blue father or mother more significant in the development of their daughters?

What indications suggested that Bonnie and Pavel might be compatible? What aspects of her character led her to miss the signs that he might reciprocate her romantic interest? What transformations and growth had to occur before Bonnie was able to openly express her love for him?

What is the significance of some, but not all, of the sisters choosing to pursue motherhood as part of their life plan? Why is it significant that the novel ends with the birth of Bonnie’s first child?

 What factors contribute to the end of Avery and Chiti’s marriage? Is their breakup purely a source of grief, or is it also an opportunity for growth? Is it evidence of growth that has already occurred? Chiti and Avery remain friends at the end of the novel, a decade after their divorce. What does this suggest about them as characters?

At the end of the novel, Lucky is still struggling with her sobriety. How does this reality affect the sense of closure at the novel’s conclusion? How does the novel represent the ongoing nature of recovery?